On intriguing sets of finite symplectic spaces

Some constructions of intriguing sets of finite symplectic spaces are provided. In particular an affirmative answer to an existence question about small tight sets posed in De Beule et al. (Des Codes Cryptogr 50(2):187–201, 2009) is given.     

Point regular groups of automorphisms of generalised quadrangles

We study the point regular groups of automorphisms of some of the known generalised quadrangles. In particular we determine all point regular groups of automorphisms of the thick classical generalised quadrangles. We also construct point regular groups of automorphisms of the generalised quadrangle of order (q−1,q+1) obtained by Payne derivation from the classical symplectic quadrangle W(3,q). For q=pf with f?2 we obtain at least two nonisomorphic groups when p?5 and at least three nonisomorphic groups when p=2 or 3. Our groups include nonabelian 2-groups, groups of exponent 9 and nonspecial p-groups. We also enumerate all point regular groups of automorphisms of some small generalised quadrangles.     

Neighbour-transitive codes and partial spreads in generalised quadrangles

Designs, Codes and Cryptography - A code C in a generalised quadrangle $${\mathcal {Q}}$$ is defined to be a subset of the vertex set of the point-line incidence graph $${\Gamma }$$ of $${\mathcal...     

Intriguing sets in partial quadrangles

The point‐line geometry known as a partial quadrangle (introduced by Cameron in 1975) has the property that for every point/line non‐incident pair (P, ?), there is at most one line through P concurrent with ?. So in particular, the well‐studied objects known as generalized quadrangles are each partial quadrangles. An intriguing set of a generalized quadrangle is a set of points which induces an equitable partition of size two of the underlying strongly regular graph. We extend the theory of intriguing sets of generalized quadrangles by Bamberg, Law and Penttila to partial quadrangles, which gives insight into the structure of hemisystems and other intriguing sets of generalized quadrangles. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 19:217‐245, 2011     

Blocking sets of Hermitian generalized quadrangles

Some infinite families of minimal blocking sets on Hermitian generalized quadrangles are constructed.     

Tight sets and <Emphasis Type="Italic">m</Emphasis>-ovoids of generalised quadrangles

The concept of a tight set of points of a generalised quadrangle was introduced by S. E. Payne in 1987, and that of an m-ovoid of a generalised quadrangle was introduced by J. A. Thas in 1989, and we unify these two concepts by defining intriguing sets of points. We prove that every intriguing set of points in a generalised quadrangle is an m-ovoid or a tight set, and we state an intersection result concerning these objects. In the classical generalised quadrangles, we construct new m-ovoids and tight sets. In particular, we construct m-ovoids of W(3,q), q odd, for all even m; we construct (q+1)/2-ovoids of W(3,q) for q odd; and we give a lower bound on m for m-ovoids of H(4,q ²).     

Generalized quadrangles in finite projective spaces

If a pointset of the projective spacePG(d,q), together with a lineset ofPG(d,q) form a generalized quadrangleS, thenS is of classical type. This beautiful theorem was proved by F. Buekenhout and C. Lefèvre. In this paper we give a simple proof of this theorem in the cased 4 (we suppose that the result is established ford = 3). We remark that in our proof a central role is played by the theory of subquadrangles.     

Spreads and ovoids in finite generalized quadrangles

This paper is a survey on the existence and non-existence of ovoids and spreads in the known finite generalized quadrangles. It also contains the following new results. We prove that translation generalized quadrangles of order (s,s ²), satisfying certain properties, have a spread. This applies to three known infinite classes of translation generalized quadrangles. Further a new class of ovoids in the classical generalized quadranglesQ(4, 3 ^e ),e3, is constructed. Then, by the duality betweenQ(4, 3 ^e ) and the classical generalized quadrangleW (3 ^e ), we get line spreads of PG(3, 3 ^e ) and hence translation planes of order 3^2e . These planes appear to be new. Note also that only a few classes of ovoids ofQ(4,q) are known. Next we prove that each generalized quadrangle of order (q ²,q) arising from a flock of a quadratic cone has an ovoid. Finally, we give the following characterization of the classical generalized quadranglesQ(5,q): IfS is a generalized quadrangle of order (q,q ²),q even, having a subquadrangleS isomorphic toQ(4,q) and if inS each ovoid consisting of all points collinear with a given pointx ofS\S is an elliptic quadric, thenS is isomorphic toQ(5,q).     

Half Moufang implies Moufang for finite generalized quadrangles

Summary A finite generalized quadrangle has two types of panels. If each panel of one type is Moufang, then every panel is Moufang. Hence by a theorem of Fong and Seitz [1] the quadrangle is classical or dual classical.Oblatum 1-XI-1989 & 7-XI-1990     

On codewords in the dual code of classical generalised quadrangles and classical polar spaces

In [J.L. Kim, K. Mellinger, L. Storme, Small weight codewords in LDPC codes defined by (dual) classical generalised quadrangles, Des. Codes Cryptogr. 42 (1) (2007) 73-92], the codewords of small weight in the dual code of the code of points and lines of Q(4,q) are characterised. Inspired by this result, using geometrical arguments, we characterise the codewords of small weight in the dual code of the code of points and generators of Q⁺(5,q) and H(5,q²), and we present lower bounds on the weight of the codewords in the dual of the code of points and k-spaces of the classical polar spaces. Furthermore, we investigate the codewords with the largest weights in these codes, where for q even and k sufficiently small, we determine the maximum weight and characterise the codewords of maximum weight. Moreover, we show that there exists an interval such that for every even number w in this interval, there is a codeword in the dual code of Q⁺(5,q), q even, with weight w and we show that there is an empty interval in the weight distribution of the dual of the code of Q(4,q), q even. To prove this, we show that a blocking set of Q(4,q), q even, of size q²+1+r, where 0<r<(q+4)/6, contains an ovoid of Q(4,q), improving on [J. Eisfeld, L. Storme, T. Sz?nyi, P. Sziklai, Covers and blocking sets of classical generalised quadrangles, Discrete Math. 238 (2001) 35-51, Theorem 9].     

Desarguesian finite generalized quadrangles are classical or dual classical

Let S = (P, B, I) be a finite generalized quadrangle of order (s, t), s > 1, t > 1. Given a flag (p, L) of S, a (p, L)-collineation is a collineation of S which fixes each point on L and each line through p. For any line N incident with p, N L, and any point u incident with L, u p, the group G(p, L) of all (p, L)-collineations acts semiregularly on the lines M concurrent with N, p not incident with M, and on the points w collinear with u, w not incident with L. If the group G(p, L) is transitive on the lines M, or equivalently, on the points w, then we say that S is (p, L)-transitive. We prove that the finite generalized quadrangle S is (p, L)-transitive for all flags (p, L) if and only if S is classical or dual classical. Further, for any flag (p, L), we introduce the notion of (p, L)-desarguesian generalized quadrangle, a purely geometrical concept, and we prove that the finite generalized quadrangle S is (p, L)-desarguesian if and only if it is (p, L)-transitive.Research Associate of the National Fund for Scientific Research (Belgium).     

Multiplicatively badly approximable numbers and generalised Cantor sets

Let p be a prime number. The p-adic case of the Mixed Littlewood Conjecture states that for all α∈R. We show that with the additional factor of the statement is false. Indeed, our main result implies that the set of α for which is of full dimension. The result is obtained as an application of a general framework for Cantor sets developed in this paper.     

Weighted covering numbers of convex sets

In this paper we define the notions of weighted covering number and weighted separation number for convex sets, and compare them to the classical covering and separation numbers. This sheds new light on the equivalence of classical covering and separation. We also provide a formula for computing these numbers via a limit of classical covering numbers in higher dimensions.     

Constructions of intriguing sets of polar spaces from field reduction and derivation

The concepts of a tight set of points and an m-ovoid of a generalised quadrangle were unified recently by Bamberg, Law and Penttila under the title of intriguing sets. This unification was subsequently extended to polar spaces of arbitrary rank. The first part of this paper deals with a method of constructing intriguing sets of one polar space from those of another via field reduction. In the second part of this paper, we generalise an ovoid derivation of Payne and Thas to a derivation of intriguing sets.      

Regular groups on generalized quadrangles and nonabelian difference sets with multiplier -1

This is a first approach to the study of regular generalized quadrangles (i.e. generalized quadrangles with an automorphism group sharply 1-transitive on points). In this paper we point out how the problem is connected to the theory of difference sets with multiplier-1. First, some of the results in [3] on difference sets with multiplier-1 are extended to the nonabelian case; then, these new results on difference sets are used to prove nonexistence theorems for regular GQs of even order s=t.Dedicated to Otto Wagner on the occasion of his 60th birthday