Stability of pencils of plane sextics and Halphen pencils of index two (Q6047267)

This paper studies the problem of classifying pencils of plane sextics up to projective equivalence via geometric invariant theory (GIT). Let \(V\) be the space of sections \(H^0(\mathbb P^2, \mathcal O_{\mathbb P^2}(1))\), then the space \(\mathcal P_d\) of pencils of plane curves of degree \(d\) can be identified with the Grassmannian of lines \(\mathrm{Gr}(2,S^d{V^*})\), which can be embedded in \(\mathbb P({\Lambda^2}{S^d} V^*)=\mathbb P^N\) via Plücker coordinates. The group \(SL(V )\) acts naturally on \(\mathcal P_d\), hence a classical problem consists of constructing the corresponding GIT quotient \(\mathcal P_d//SL(V)\) appears. \medskip The author provides a complete description of the GIT stability of certain pencils of plane sextics called Halphen pencils of index two (\(=\) pencil of plane curves of degree six with nine (possibly infinitely near) base points of multiplicity two). By considering on a natural the correspondence between Halphen pencils of index two and rational elliptic surfaces of index two: If \(f: Y\to \mathbb P^1\) is a rational elliptic surface of index two, then there exists a birational map \(\pi: Y\to \mathbb P^2\) so that \(f \circ \pi^{-1}\) is a Halphen pencil of index two. Conversely, given a Halphen pencil of index two, taking the minimal resolution of its base points one obtain a rational elliptic surface of index two, the author obtains explicit stability criteria in terms of the types of singular fibers appearing in their associated rational elliptic surfaces.