Constructions for rotational near resolvable block designs

A (ν, k, k?1) near resolvable block design (NRBD) is r‐rotational over a group G if it admits G as an automorphism group of order (ν?1)/r fixing exactly one point and acting semiregularly on the others. We give direct and recursive constructions for rotational NRBDs with particular attention to 1‐rotational ones. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Combin Designs 9: 157–181, 2001     

Highly edge‐connected detachments of graphs and digraphs

Let G = (V,E) be a graph or digraph and r : V → Z₊. An r‐detachment of G is a graph H obtained by ‘splitting’ each vertex ν ∈ V into r(ν) vertices. The vertices ν₁,…,ν_r(ν) obtained by splitting ν are called the pieces of ν in H. Every edge uν ∈ E corresponds to an edge of H connecting some piece of u to some piece of ν. Crispin Nash‐Williams 9 gave necessary and sufficient conditions for a graph to have a k‐edge‐connected r‐detachment. He also solved the version where the degrees of all the pieces are specified. In this paper, we solve the same problems for directed graphs. We also give a simple and self‐contained new proof for the undirected result. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 43: 67–77, 2003     

Automorphisms of higher‐dimensional Hadamard matrices

This article derives from first principles a definition of equivalence for higher‐dimensional Hadamard matrices and thereby a definition of the automorphism group for higher‐dimensional Hadamard matrices. Our procedure is quite general and could be applied to other kinds of designs for which there are no established definitions for equivalence or automorphism. Given a two‐dimensional Hadamard matrix H of order ν, there is a Product Construction which gives an order ν proper n‐dimensional Hadamard matrix P⁽ⁿ⁾(H). We apply our ideas to the matrices P⁽ⁿ⁾(H). We prove that there is a constant c > 1 such that any Hadamard matrix H of order ν > 2 gives rise via the Product Construction to cν inequivalent proper three‐dimensional Hadamard matrices of order ν. This corrects an erroneous assertion made in the literature that ”P⁽ⁿ⁾(H) is equivalent to “P⁽ⁿ⁾(H′) whenever H is equivalent to H′.” We also show how the automorphism group of P⁽ⁿ⁾(H) depends on the structure of the automorphism group of H. As an application of the above ideas, we determine the automorphism group of P⁽ⁿ⁾(Hk) when Hk is a Sylvester Hadamard matrix of order 2^k. For ν = 4, we exhibit three distinct families of inequivalent Product Construction matrices P⁽ⁿ⁾(H) where H is equivalent to H₂. These matrices each have large but non‐isomorphic automorphism groups. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 16: 507–544, 2008     

Some Results for Decomposition Numbers for the Hecke Algebra of Type A with q = −1

Let ? = ?_{?, ?1}(𝔖 _n ) be the Hecke algebra of the symmetric group 𝔖 _n . For partitions λ and ν with ν 2 ? regular, define the Specht module S(λ) and the irreducible module D(ν). Define d _λν = [S(λ): D(ν)] to be the composition multiplicity of D(ν) in S(λ). In this paper we compute the decomposition numbers d _λν for all partitions of the form λ = (a, c, 1 ^b ) and ν 2 ? regular.     

Some progress on the existence of 1-rotational Steiner triple systems

A Steiner triple system of order v (briefly STS(v)) is 1-rotational under G if it admits G as an automorphism group acting sharply transitively on all but one point. The spectrum of values of v for which there exists a 1-rotational STS(v) under a cyclic, an abelian, or a dicyclic group, has been established in Phelps and Rosa (Discrete Math 33:57–66, 1981), Buratti (J Combin Des 9:215–226, 2001) and Mishima (Discrete Math 308:2617–2619, 2008), respectively. Nevertheless, the spectrum of values of v for which there exists a 1-rotational STS(v) under an arbitrary group has not been completely determined yet. This paper is a considerable step forward to the solution of this problem. In fact, we leave as uncertain cases only those for which we have v =  (p ³−p)n +  1 ≡ 1 (mod 96) with p a prime, n \not o 0{n \not\equiv 0} (mod 4), and the odd part of (p ³ − p)n that is square-free and without prime factors congruent to 1 (mod 6).     

Nonexistence of sparse triple systems over abelian groups and involutions

In 1973 Paul Erdős conjectured that there is an integer v ₀(r) such that, for every v>v ₀(r) and v≡1,3 (mod 6), there exists a Steiner triple system of order v, containing no i blocks on i+2 points for every 1<i≤r. Such an STS is said to be r-sparse. In this paper we consider relations of automorphisms of an STS to its sparseness. We show that for every r≥13 there exists no point-transitive r-sparse STS over an abelian group. This bound and the classification of transitive groups give further nonexistence results on block-transitive, flag-transitive, 2-transitive, and 2-homogeneous STSs with high sparseness. We also give stronger bounds on the sparseness of STSs having some particular automorphisms with small groups. As a corollary of these results, it is shown that various well-known automorphisms, such as cyclic, 1-rotational over arbitrary groups, and involutions, prevent an STS from being high-sparse.      

Ramsey graphs and block designs

Symmetric (ν, κ, λ)-block designs admitting polarity maps are shown to be closely related to certain Ramsey numbers for bipartite graphs. In particular, if there exists a (ν, κ, λ)-difference set in an abelian group of order ν, then the Ramsey number R(K_2,λ+1, K_1,ν?k+1) is either 1 + ν or 2 + ν.     

λ-fold indecomposable large sets of Steiner triple systems

A family (X, B1), (X, B2), . . . , (X, Bq) of q STS(v)s is a λ-fold large set of STS(v) and denoted by LSTSλ(v) if every 3-subset of X is contained in exactly λ STS(v)s of the collection. It is indecomposable and denoted by IDLSTSλ(v) if there exists no LSTSλ (v) contained in the collection for any λ λ. In 1995, Griggs and Rosa posed a problem: For which values of λ 1 and orders v ≡ 1, 3 (mod 6) do there exist IDLSTSλ(v)? In this paper, we use partitionable candelabra systems (PCSs) and holey λ-fold large set of STS(v) (HLSTSλ(v)) as auxiliary designs to establish a recursive construction for IDLSTSλ(v) and show that there exists an IDLSTSλ(v) for λ = 2, 3, 4 and v ≡ 1, 3 (mod 6).     

Skew-orthogonal steiner triple systems

Two Steiner triple systems, S₁=(V,ℬ︁₁) and S₂=(V,ℬ︁₂), are orthogonal (S₁ ⟂ S₂) if ℬ︁₁ ∩ ℬ︁₂=∅︁ and if {u,ν} ≠ {x,y}, uνw,xyw ∈ ℬ︁₁, uνs, xyt ∈ ℬ︁₂ then s ≠ t. The solution to the existence problem for orthogonal Steiner triple systems, (OSTS) was a major accomplishment in design theory. Two orthogonal triple systems are skew-orthogonal (SOSTS, written S₁∼S₂) if, in addition, we require uνw, xys ∈ ℬ︁₁ and uνt, xyw∈ ℬ︁₂ implies s ≠ t. Orthogonal triple systems are associated with a class of Room squares, with the skew orthogonal triple systems corresponding to skew Room squares. Also, SOSTS are related to separable weakly union-free TTS. SOSTS are much rarer than OSTS; for example SOSTS(ν) do not exist for ν=3,9,15. Furthermore, a fundamental construction for the earlier OSTS proofs when ν ≡ 3 (mod 6) cannot exist. In the case ν≡ 1 ( mod 6) we are able to show existence except possibly for 22 values, the largest of which is 1315. There are at least two non-isomorphic OSTS(19)s one of which is SOSTS(19) and the other not. A SOSTS(27) was found, implying the existence of SOSTS(ν) for ν ≡ 3 (mod 6) with finitely many possible exceptions.     

Alternating groups and flag‐transitive 2‐(v,k, 4) symmetric designs

In this article, we study the classification of flag‐transitive, point‐primitive 2‐ (v, k, 4) symmetric designs. We prove that if the socle of the automorphism group G of a flag‐transitive, point‐primitive nontrivial 2‐ (v, k, 4) symmetric design ?? is an alternating group A_n for n≥5, then (v, k) = (15, 8) and ?? is one of the following: (i) The points of ?? are those of the projective space PG(3, 2) and the blocks are the complements of the planes of PG(3, 2), G = A₇ or A₈, and the stabilizer G_x of a point x of ?? is L₃(2) or AGL₃(2), respectively. (ii) The points of ?? are the edges of the complete graph K₆ and the blocks are the complete bipartite subgraphs K_{2, 4} of K₆, G = A₆ or S₆, and G_x = S₄ or S₄ × Z₂, respectively. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 19:475‐483, 2011     

Pairwise balanced designs whose block size set contains seven and thirteen

In this paper, we investigate the PBD‐closure of sets K with {7,13} ? K ? {7,13,19,25,31,37,43}. In particular, we show that ν ≡ 1 mod 6, ν ≥ 98689 implies ν ? B({7,13}). As an intermediate result, many new 13‐GDDs of type 13^q and resolvable BIBD with block size 6 or 12 are also constructed. Furthermore, we show some elements to be not essential in a Wilson basis for the PBD‐closed set {ν: ν ≡ 1 mod 6, ν ≥ 7}. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 15: 283–314, 2007     

Intersection graphs of proper subtrees of unicyclic graphs

A graph is fraternally oriented iff for every three vertices u, ν, w the existence of the edges u → w and ν → w implies that u and ν are adjacent. A directed unicyclic graph is obtained from a unicyclic graph by orienting the unique cycle clockwise and by orienting the appended subtrees from the cycle outwardly. Two directed subtrees s, t of a directed unicyclic graph are proper if their union contains no (directed or undirected) cycle and either they are disjoint or one of them s has its root r(s) in t and contains all the successors of r(s) in t. In the present paper we prove that G is an intersection graph of a family of proper directed subtrees of a directed unicyclic graph iff it has a fraternal orientation such that for every vertex ν, G(Γⁱⁿν) is acyclic and G(Γ^outν) is the transitive closure of a tree. We describe efficient algorithms for recognizing when such graphs are perfect and for testing isomorphism of proper circular-arc graphs.     

Products of operator ideals and extensions of Schatten classes

We study relations between Schatten classes and product operator ideals, where one of the factors is the Banach ideal Π_E,2 of (E, 2)‐summing operators, and where E is a Banach sequence space with ?₂ ? E. We show that for a large class of 2‐convex symmetric Banach sequence spaces the product ideal Π_E,2 ○ ??^a_q,s is an extension of the Schatten class ??_F with a suitable Lorentz space F. As an application, we obtain that if 2 ≤ p, q < ∞, 1/r = 1/p + 1/q and E is a 2‐convex symmetric space with fundamental function λ_E(n) ≈? n^1/p, then Π_E,2 ○ Π_q is an extension of the Schatten class ??r,q (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Authentication perpendicular arrays APA1(2, 7, ν)

Stinson introduced authentication perpendicular arrays APA_λ (t, k,ν), as a special kind of perpendicular arrays, to construct authentication and secrecy codes. In this article, we generalize the known direct and recursive constructions and show that an APA₁(2, 7, ν) exists if νodd > 9384255. We also improve the known existence result for APA₁(2, 5, ν) by presenting five new orders so that such a design exists if and only if ν ≥ 5 is odd, except &ngr: = 7 and possibly excepting ν = 9, 13, 15, 17, 33, 39, 49, 57, 63, 69, 87, 97, and 113. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Realizations for direct constructions of resolvable Steiner 2‐designs with block size 5

We consider direct constructions due to R. J. R. Abel and M. Greig, and to M. Buratti, for ({ν},5,1) balanced incomplete block designs. These designs are defined using the prime fields F_p for certain primes p, are 1‐rotational over G ⊕ F_p where G is a group of order 4, and are also resolvable under certain conditions. We introduce specifications to the constructions and, by means of character sum arguments, show that the constructions yield resolvable designs whenever p is sufficiently large. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Combin Designs 8:207–217, 2000     

A construction for equidistant permutation arrays of index one

An equidistant permutation array (EPA) which we denote by A(r, λ; ν) is a ν × r array such that every row is a permutation of the integers 1, 2,…, r and such that every pair of distinct rows has precisely λ columns in common. R(r, λ) is the maximum ν such that there exists an A(r, λ; ν). In this paper we show that R(n² + n + 2, 1) ? 2n² + n where n is a prime power.     

Automorphisms of elementary adjoint Chevalley groups of types Al, Dl, and El over local rings with 1/2

It is proved that every automorphism of an elementary adjoint Chevalley group of type A _l , D _l , or E _l over a local commutative ring with 1/2 is a composition of a ring automorphism and conjugation by some matrix from the normalizer of that Chevalley group in GL(V) (V is an adjoint representation space).     

Resolutions of PG(5, 2) with point‐cyclic automorphism group

A t‐(υ, k, λ) design is a set of υ points together with a collection of its k‐subsets called blocks so that all subsets of t points are contained in exactly λ blocks. The d‐dimensional projective geometry over GF(q), PG(d, q), is a 2‐(q^d + q^d−1 + … + q + 1, q + 1, 1) design when we take its points as the points of the design and its lines as the blocks of the design. A 2‐(υ, k, 1) design is said to be resolvable if the blocks can be partitioned as ℛ = {R₁, R₂, …, R_s}, where s = (υ − 1)/(k−1) and each R_i consists of υ/k disjoint blocks. If a resolvable design has an automorphism σ which acts as a cycle of length υ on the points and ℛ^σ = ℛ, then the design is said to be point‐cyclically resolvable. The design associated with PG(5, 2) is known to be resolvable and in this paper, it is shown to be point‐cyclically resolvable by enumerating all inequivalent resolutions which are invariant under a cyclic automorphism group G = 〈σ〉 where σ is a cycle of length 63. These resolutions are the only resolutions which admit a point‐transitive automorphism group. Furthermore, some necessary conditions for the point‐cyclic resolvability of 2‐(υ, k, 1) designs are also given. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Combin Designs 8: 2–14, 2000     

Large Almost Simple Groups Acting on 16-Dimensional Compact Projective Planes

 This paper deals with the so-called Salzmann program aiming to classify special geometries according to their automorphism groups. Here, topological connected compact projective planes are considered. If finite-dimensional, such planes are of dimension 2, 4, 8, or 16. The classical example of a 16-dimensional, compact projective plane is the projective plane over the octonions with 78-dimensional automorphism group E₆(−26). A 16-dimensional, compact projective plane ? admitting an automorphism group of dimension 41 or more is clasical, [23] 87.5 and 87.7. For the special case of a semisimple group Δ acting on ? the same result can be obtained if dim , see [22]. Our aim is to lower this bound. We show: if Δ is semisimple and dim , then ? is either classical or a Moufang-Hughes plane or Δ is isomorphic to Spin₉ (ℝ, r), r∈{0, 1}. The proof consists of two parts. In [16] it has been shown that Δ is in fact almost simple or isomorphic to SL₃?ċSpin₃ℝ. In the underlying paper we can therefore restrict our considerations to the case that Δ is almost simple, and the corresponding planes are classified. Received 10 February 1997; in final form 19 December 1997     

Large Almost Simple Groups Acting on 16-Dimensional Compact Projective Planes

 This paper deals with the so-called Salzmann program aiming to classify special geometries according to their automorphism groups. Here, topological connected compact projective planes are considered. If finite-dimensional, such planes are of dimension 2, 4, 8, or 16. The classical example of a 16-dimensional, compact projective plane is the projective plane over the octonions with 78-dimensional automorphism group E₆(−26). A 16-dimensional, compact projective plane ? admitting an automorphism group of dimension 41 or more is clasical, [23] 87.5 and 87.7. For the special case of a semisimple group Δ acting on ? the same result can be obtained if dim , see [22]. Our aim is to lower this bound. We show: if Δ is semisimple and dim , then ? is either classical or a Moufang-Hughes plane or Δ is isomorphic to Spin₉ (ℝ, r), r∈{0, 1}. The proof consists of two parts. In [16] it has been shown that Δ is in fact almost simple or isomorphic to SL₃?ċSpin₃ℝ. In the underlying paper we can therefore restrict our considerations to the case that Δ is almost simple, and the corresponding planes are classified.