Sylvester–Gallai Theorems for Complex Numbers and Quaternions

A Sylvester-Gallai (SG) configuration is a finite set S of points such that the line through any two points in S contains a third point of S. According to the Sylvester-Gallai theorem, an SG configuration in real projective space must be collinear. A problem of Serre (1966) asks whether an SG configuration in a complex projective space must be coplanar. This was proved by Kelly (1986) using a deep inequality of Hirzebruch. We give an elementary proof of this result, and then extend it to show that an SG configuration in projective space over the quaternions must be contained in a three-dimensional flat.     

Distorting symmetric designs

A simple replacement approach is used to construct new symmetric and affine designs from projective or affine spaces. This is used to construct symmetric designs with a given automorphism group, to study GMW designs, and to construct new affine designs whose automorphism group fixes a point and has just two point- and block-orbits.      

Quasi-residual quasi-symmetric designs

It is shown that for each λ ? 3, there are only finitely many quasi-residual quasi-symmetric (QRQS) designs and that for each pair of intersection numbers (x, y) not equal to (0, 1) or (1, 2), there are only finitely many QRQS designs.A design is shown to be affine if and only if it is QRQS with x = 0. A projective design is defined as a symmetric design which has an affine residual. For a projective design, the block-derived design and the dual of the point-derivate of the residual are multiples of symmetric designs.     

Affine Spaces within Projective Spaces

We endow the set of complements of a fixed subspace of a projective space with the structure of an affine space, and show that certain lines of such an affine space are affine reguli or cones over affine reguli. Moreover, we apply our concepts to the problem of describing dual spreads. We do not assume that the projective space is finite-dimensional or pappian.     

Nonbinary quantum codes derived from finite geometries

The paper gives explicit parameters for several infinite families of q-ary quantum stabilizer codes. These codes are derived from combinatorial designs which arise from finite projective and affine geometries.     

Uniform Zariski’s theorem on fundamental groups

The Zariski theorem says that for every hypersurface in a complex projective (resp. affine) space and for every generic plane in the projective (resp. affine) space the natural embedding generates an isomorphism of the fundamental groups of the complements to the hypersurface in the plane and in the space. If a family of hypersurfaces depends algebraically on parameters then it is not true in general that there exists a plane such that the natural embedding generates an isomorphism of the fundamental groups of the complements to each hypersurface from this family in the plane and in the space. But we show that in the affine case such a plane exists after a polynomial coordinate substitution. The research was partially supported by an NSA grant.     

The Sylvester-Gallai theorem, colourings and algebra

Our point of departure is the following simple common generalisation of the Sylvester-Gallai theorem and the Motzkin-Rabin theorem:

LetSbe a finite set of points in the plane, with each point coloured red or blue or with both colours. Suppose that for any two distinct pointsA,B∈Ssharing a colour there is a third pointC∈S, of the other colour, collinear withAandB. Then all the points inSare collinear.

We define a chromatic geometry to be a simple matroid for which each point is coloured red or blue or with both colours, such that for any two distinct points A,B∈S sharing a colour there is a third point C∈S, of the other colour, collinear with A and B. This is a common generalisation of proper finite linear spaces and properly two-coloured finite linear spaces, with many known properties of both generalising as well. One such property is Kelly’s complex Sylvester-Gallai theorem. We also consider embeddings of chromatic geometries in Desarguesian projective spaces. We prove a lower bound of 51 for the number of points in a three-dimensional chromatic geometry in projective space over the quaternions. Finally, we suggest an elementary approach to the corollary of an inequality of Hirzebruch used by Kelly in his proof of the complex Sylvester-Gallai theorem.     

Extended dual affine planes

We study a class of diagram geometries, achieve a characterization of extended dual affine planes, and embed extended dual affine planes in extended projective planes. The geometries studied are rank 3 diagram geometries such that the residue of a point is a dual net, and the residue of a plane is linear; the dual of such a geometry has partitions on lines and planes which are reminiscent of parallelism of lines and planes of an affine 3-space. Examples of these geometries (some in dual form) include extended dual affine planes, Laguerre planes, 3-nets, and orthogonal arrays of strength 3. Theorem: Any such finite geometry satisfying Buekenhout's intersection property, and such that any two points are coplanar, is an extended dual affine plane (and has order 2, 4, or 10). Theorem: This geometry may be embedded in an extended projective plane of the same order.This research was partially supported by NSF Grant MCS-8102361.     

On projective and affine hyperplanes

We study projective and affine factors in 2-coverings and associate canonically a projective space of order 2 and an affine space of order 3 to each Steiner triple system and an affine space of order 2 to each Steiner quadruple system.     

𝔾a-ACTIONS ON AFFINE CONES

An affine algebraic variety X is called cylindrical if it contains a principal Zariski dense open cylinder U ? Z × A1. A polarized projective variety (Y, H) is called cylindrical if it contains a cylinder U = Y \ supp D, where D is an effective Q-divisor on Y such that [D] ∈ Q+[H] in PicQ(Y ). We show that cylindricity of a polarized projective variety is equivalent to that of a certain Veronese affine cone over this variety. This gives a criterion of the existence of a unipotent group action on an affine cone.     

On the structure of 1-designs with at most two block intersection numbers

We introduce the notion of an unrefinable decomposition of a 1-design with at most two block intersection numbers, which is a certain decomposition of the 1-designs collection of blocks into other 1-designs. We discover an infinite family of 1-designs with at most two block intersection numbers that each have a unique unrefinable decomposition, and we give a polynomial-time algorithm to compute an unrefinable decomposition for each such design from the family. Combinatorial designs from this family include: finite projective planes of order n; SOMAs, and more generally, partial linear spaces of order (s, t) on (s + 1)² points; as well as affine designs, and more generally, strongly resolvable designs with no repeated blocks.      

Geodesic Webs on a Two-Dimensional Manifold and Euler Equations

We prove that any planar 4-web defines a unique projective structure in the plane in such a way that the leaves of the web foliations are geodesics of this projective structure. We also find conditions for the projective structure mentioned above to contain an affine symmetric connection, and conditions for a planar 4-web to be equivalent to a geodesic 4-web on an affine symmetric surface. Similar results are obtained for planar d-webs, d>4, provided that additional d−4 second-order invariants vanish.     

The Sylvester-Chvatal Theorem

The Sylvester-Gallai theorem asserts that every finite set S of points in two-dimensional Euclidean space includes two points, a and b, such that either there is no other point in S on the line ab, or the line ab contains all the points in S. Chvatal extended the notion of lines to arbitrary metric spaces and made a conjecture that generalizes the Sylvester-Gallai theorem. In the present article we prove this conjecture.     

An application of a numerical criterion of ampleness

It is proven that, if an affine segment of a complete surface contains all its singularities, the surface is then projective, and the complement to this affine segment is cut by a hyperplane upon some projective embedding of the surface.     

Continuous planar functions

This paper deals with continuous planar functions and their associated topological affine and projective planes. These associated (affine and projective) planes are the so-called shift planes and in addition to these, in the case of planar partition functions, the underlying (affine and projective) translation planes. We introduce a method that allows us to combine two continuous planar functions ? → ? into a continuous planar function ?² → ?². We prove various extension and embedding results for the associated affine and projective planes and their collineation groups. Furthermore, we construct topological ovals and various kinds of polarities in the associated topological projective planes.     

GOB designs for authentication codes with arbitration

Combinatorial characterization of optimal authentication codes with arbitration was previously given by several groups of researchers in terms of affine α-resolvable + BIBDs and α-resolvable designs with some special properties, respectively. In this paper, we revisit this known characterization and restate it using a new idea of GOB designs. This newly introduced combinatorial structure simplifies the characterization, and enables us to extend Johansson’s well-known family of optimal authentication codes with arbitration to any finite projective spaces with dimension greater than or equal to 3.     

On tactical decompositions of class number 2

In this article we consider tactical decompositions of class number 2 of symmetric designs. Our main result says that if the orders are prime, then the only decompositions are of affine type. Moreover, we study symmetric decompositions of finite projective planes and show that, except in some cases, they are related to Baer subplanes, unitals, or 2 - ((m ² - m + 1)m, m, 1)designs.     

Canonical decomposition of projective and affine killing vectors on the tangent bundle

For an affine connection on the tangent bundle T(M) obtained by lifting an affine connection on M, the structure of vector fields on T(M) which generate local one-parameter groups of projective and affine collineations is described. On the T(M) of a complete irreducible Riemann manifold, every projective collineation is affine. On the T(M) of a projectively Euclidean space, every affine collineation preserves the fibration of T(M), and on the T(M) of a projectively non-Duclidean space which is maximally homogeneous (in the sense of affine collineations) there exist affine collineations permuting the fibers of T(M).Translated from Matematicheskie Zametki, Vol. 19, No. 2, pp. 247–258, February, 1976.     

A numerical approach to proving projectivity

Summary We present a nonconstructive method which uses intersection numbers and linear space theory for proving the existence of projective embeddings of suitable algebraic schemes, and we apply it to establish Chevalley's conjecture that a complete nonsingular variety such that any finite number of points is contained in an open affine subset is projective. In memory of Guido Castelnuovo in the recurrence of the first centenary of his birth.