Surfaces of general type with q=2 are rigidified

Abstract

Let $S$ be a minimal smooth projective surface of general type with irregularity $q=2$. We show that, if $S$ has a nontrivial holomorphic automorphism acting trivially on the cohomology with rational coefficients, then it is a surface isogenous to a product. As a consequence of this geometric characterization, one infers that no nontrivial automorphism of surfaces of general type with $q=2$ (which are not necessarily minimal) can be homotopic to the identity. In particular, such surfaces are rigidified in the sense of Fabrizio Catanese.