On the projective normality of double coverings over a rational surface

Abstract

We study the projective normality of a minimal surface $X$ which is a ramified double covering over a rational surface $S$ with $\dim|-K_S|\ge 1$. In particular Horikawa surfaces, the minimal surfaces of general type with $K^2_X=2p_g(X)-4$, are of this type, up to resolution of singularities. Let $\pi$ be the covering map from $X$ to $S$. We show that the $\mathbb{Z}_2$-invariant adjoint divisors $K_X+r\pi^*A$ are normally generated, where the integer $r\ge 3$ and $A$ is an ample divisor on $S$.