Entropy and collapsing of compact complex surfaces

Abstract

We study the problem of existence of F-structures on compact complex surfaces, giving a complete classification modulo the gap in the classification of surfaces of class VII. We then use these results to study the minimal entropy problem for compact complex surfaces. For instance we prove that compact Kahler surfaces of Kodaira number different from 2 have minimal entropy 0, and such a surface admits a metric with entropy 0 if and only if it is the complex projective space, a ruled surface of genus 0 or 1, a complex torus or a hyperelliptic surface. The key result we use to prove this, is a new topological obstruction to the existence of metrics with vanishing topological entropy. Finally we show that these results fit perfectly into Wall's study of geometric structures on compact complex surfaces.