The birational geometry of surfaces with rational double points (Q793798)

Let \(\pi\) :\(X\to Y\) be a proper birational morphism between surfaces with rational double points. We first show that \(\pi\) can be factored into a sequence of ''elementary'' morphisms, each of which contracts a smooth rational curve to a point. (This is a special case of a theorem of F. Sakai.) We then study conormal sheaves of smooth curves on surfaces with rational double points, and give necessary and sufficient conditions for an ''elementary'' contraction to exist in terms of conormal sheaves. This generalizes the classical case of smooth surfaces, in which the ''elementary'' morphism is the blow-up of a smooth point, and a smooth rational curve C can be contrasted to a smooth point if and only if its conormal sheaf is \({\mathcal O}_ C(1)\). The paper also contains an application of these results to the study of Gorenstein threefold singularities with small resolutions.