Combinatorial invariants for nets of conics in $$\mathrm {PG}(2,q)$$ PG ( 2 , q )

Designs, Codes and Cryptography - The problem of classifying linear systems of conics in projective planes dates back at least to Jordan, who classified pencils (one-dimensional systems) of conics...     

On the code generated by the incidence matrix of points and k-spaces in and its dual

In this paper, we study the p-ary linear code C_k(n,q), q=p^h, p prime, h1, generated by the incidence matrix of points and k-dimensional spaces in PG(n,q). For kn/2, we link codewords of C_k(n,q)C_k(n,q) of weight smaller than 2q^k to k-blocking sets. We first prove that such a k-blocking set is uniquely reducible to a minimal k-blocking set, and exclude all codewords arising from small linear k-blocking sets. For k<n/2, we present counterexamples to lemmas valid for kn/2. Next, we study the dual code of C_k(n,q) and present a lower bound on the weight of the codewords, hence extending the results of Sachar [H. Sachar, The F_p span of the incidence matrix of a finite projective plane, Geom. Dedicata 8 (1979) 407–415] to general dimension.     

On the graph of a function in two variables over a finite field

We show that if the number of directions not determined by a pointset of , of size q² is at least p^e q then every plane intersects in 0 modulo p^e+1 points and apply the result to ovoids of the generalised quadrangles and .     

Linear (q+1)-fold Blocking Sets in PG(2, q)

A (q+1)-fold blocking set of size (q+1)(q⁴+q²+1) in PG(2, q⁴) which is not the union of q+1 disjoint Baer subplanes, is constructed     

Finite semifields and nonsingular tensors

In this article, we give an overview of the classification results in the theory of finite semifields (note that this is not intended as a survey of finite semifields including a complete state of the art (see also Remark 1.10)) and elaborate on the approach using nonsingular tensors based on Liebler (Geom Dedicata 11(4):455–464, 1981).     

The BEL-rank of finite semifields

In this article we introduce the notion of the BEL-rank of a finite semifield, prove that it is an invariant for the isotopism classes, and give geometric and algebraic interpretations of this new invariant. Moreover, we describe an efficient method for calculating the BEL-rank, and present computational results for all known small semifields.     

Solution to An Isotopism Question Concerning Rank 2 Semifields

In [8] Dempwolff gives a construction of three classes of rank two semifields of order , with q and n odd, using Dembowski–Ostrom polynomials. The question whether these semifields are new, i.e. not isotopic to previous constructions, is left as an open problem. In this paper we solve this problem for , in particular we prove that two of these classes, labeled and , are new for , whereas presemifields in family are isotopic to Generalized Twisted Fields for each .     

Scattered Spaces with Respect to a Spread in PG(n,q)

A scattered subspace of PG(n-1,q) with respect to a (t-1)-spread S is a subspace intersecting every spread element in at most a point. Upper and lower bounds for the dimension of a maximum scattered space are given. In the case of a normal spread new classes of two intersection sets with respect to hyperplanes in a projective space are obtained using scattered spaces.