Relative enumerative invariants of real nodal del Pezzo surfaces

Abstract

The surfaces considered are real, rational and have a unique smooth real $(-2)$-curve. Their canonical class $K$ is strictly negative on any other irreducible curve in the surface and $K^2>0$. For surfaces satisfying these assumptions, we suggest a certain signed count of real rational curves that belong to a given divisor class and are simply tangent to the $(-2)$-curve at each intersection point. We prove that this count provides a number which depends neither on the point constraints nor on deformation of the surface preserving the real structure and the $(-2)$-curve.

60 pages, 3 figures; several misprints and the reference list are corrected