A Characterisation of the Generalized Quadrangle Q (5, q) Using Cohomology

If a GQ S of order (s, s) is contained in a GQ S of order (s, s ²) as a subquadrangle, then for each point X of S\S the set of points of S collinear with X form an ovoid of S. Thas and Payne proved that if S= (4,q),q even, and is an elliptic quadric for each XS\S,thenS (5,q). In this paper we provide a single proof for the q odd and q even cases by establishing a link between the geometry involved and the first cohomology group of a related simplicial complex.