On K3 surface quotients of K3 or Abelian surfaces

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to prove that a K3 surface is the minimal model of the quotient of an Abelian surface by a group $G$ (respectively of a K3 surface by an Abelian group $G$) if and only if a certain lattice is primitively embedded in its N\'eron--Severi group. This allows one to describe the coarse moduli space of the K3 surfaces which are (rationally) $G$-covered by Abelian or K3 surfaces (in the latter case $G$ is an Abelian group). If either $G$ has order 2 or $G$ is cyclic and acts on an Abelian surface, this result was already known, so we extend it to the other cases. Moreover, we prove that a K3 surface $X_G$ is the minimal model of the quotient of an Abelian surface by a group $G$ if and only if a certain configuration of rational curves is present on $X_G$. Again this result was known only in some special cases, in particular if $G$ has order 2 or 3.