On automorphism groups of Riemann double covers of Klein surfaces (Q729730)

The article deals with Klein and Riemann surfaces. A Riemann surface is a compact surface with an analytic structure, and so Riemann surfaces are orientable and unbordered. If one relaxes the conditions and allows a dianalytic structure, Klein surfaces arise, which may be bordered and non-orientable. A Klein surface \(X\) of algebraic genus \(g \geq 2\) has a Riemann double cover \(X^+\), which admits an anticonformal involution \(\tau\) such that \(X^+/\tau\) is isomorphic to \(X\). Then, the automorphism group of \(X^+\), \(\text{Aut}(X^+)\), contains the automorphism group of \(X\), \(\text{Aut}(X)\), and \(\langle \tau \rangle\), and hence \(\text{Aut}(X^+)\) contains \(\text{Aut}(X) \times \langle \tau \rangle \approx \text{Aut}(X) \times C_2\). The paper is devoted to the question whether in fact \(\text{Aut}(X^+) = \text{Aut}(X) \times C_2\), or else \(X^+\) has additional automorphisms. If \(X\) has a boundary, the order of \(\text{Aut}(X)\), \(\mathrm{o}(\text{Aut}(X))\), is bounded above by \(12(g-1)\). In terms of the order, partial results are already known for the relationship between \(\text{Aut}(X)\) and \(\text{Aut}(X^+)\). The largest values of \(\mathrm{o}(\text{Aut}(X))\) are \(12(g-1)\), \(8(g-1)\) and \(\frac {20}{3} (g-1)\). For all three cases, \(\text{Aut}(X^+) = \text{Aut}(X) \times C_2\), with just one, five and one exceptions, respectively, as shown by \textit{C. L. May} in [Glasg. Math. J. 33, No. 1, 61--71 (1991; Zbl. 0718.30032)], \textit{E. Bujalance} et al. in [Glasg. Math. J. 36, No. 3, 313--330 (1994; Zbl. 0810.30035)] and \textit{A. M. Porto} and \textit{A. F. Costa} in [J. Math. Sc., New York 82, No. 6, 3773--3779 (1996; Zbl. 0889.30032)]. On the contrary, when \(\mathrm{o}(\text{Aut}(X)) = 6(g-1)\), the following value, there are infinitely many surfaces \(X\) such that \(\text{Aut}(X^+) \neq \text{Aut}(X) \times C_2\), what was proved by Porto and Costa [loc. cit.] When \(\mathrm{o}(\text{Aut}(X)) > 6(g-1)\), the group is uniformized by a non-Euclidean crystallographic group with signature \((0,+,[-],{(2,2,2,n)})\), for \(3 \leq n \leq 5\). This fact will be expressed saying that the group acts on \(X\) with signature \((2,2,2,n)\). Porto and Costa [loc. cit.] proved also that \(\text{Aut}(X^+) = \text{Aut}(X) \times C_2\) when \(\text{Aut}(X)\) acts with signature \((2,2,2,n)\) for \(n\) prime, with one exception for each \(n\). In the present paper the authors consider the general problem of groups \(G\) acting with signature \((2,2,2,n)\) for arbitrary \(n > 2\), both for bordered surfaces and for non-orientable unbordered surfaces. Bordered surfaces are studied in Section 3, and two fundamental results are obtained. Let \(G\) be a finite group acting on the surface \(X\) with signature \((2,2,2,n)\). Then, \(G\) is the full automorphism group \(\text{Aut}(X)\). Besides, \(\text{Aut}(X^+) = \text{Aut}(X) \times C_2\) with just one exception for each \(n\), unless \(n = 4\), when there are five exceptions. In this way the result obtained by Porto and Costa for \(n\) prime is extended to arbitrary \(n\). Non-orientable unbordered surfaces are studied in Sections 4 and 5. There the situation happens to be very different. Although \(G\) acts with signature \((2,2,2,n)\), \(G\) may not be the full group \(\text{Aut}(X)\); and even if \(G = \text{Aut}(X)\), the group \(\text{Aut}(X^+)\) may contain strictly \(\text{Aut}(X) \times C_2\). Examples are given of all these situations, distinguishing between \(n\neq 4\) and the more complicated case \(n = 4\). Besides, the authors obtain necessary and sufficient conditions on the relationship between \(\text{Aut}(X)\) and \(G\) on one side, and \(\text{Aut}(X^+)\) and \(G \times C_2\) on the other.