Overlarge sets of disjoint Steiner quadruple systems

In this article, we construct overlarge sets of disjoint S(3, 4, 3ⁿ − 1) and overlarge sets of disjoint S(3, 4, 3ⁿ + 1) for all n ≥ 2. Up to now, the only known infinite sequence of overlarge sets of disjoint S(3, 4, v) were the overlarge sets of disjoint S(3, 4, 2ⁿ) obtained from the oval conics of desarguesian projective planes of order 2ⁿ. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Combin Design 7: 311–315, 1999     

An improved product construction of rotational Steiner quadruple systems

An improved product construction is presented for rotational Steiner quadruple systems. Direct constructions are also provided for small orders. It is known that the existence of a rotational Steiner quadruple system of order υ+1 implies the existence of an optimal optical orthogonal code of length υ with weight four and index two. New infinite families of orders are also obtained for both rotational Steiner quadruple systems and optimal optical orthogonal codes. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 10: 433–443, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/jcd.10025     

The Steiner quadruple systems of order 16

The Steiner quadruple systems of order 16 are classified up to isomorphism by means of an exhaustive computer search. The number of isomorphism classes of such designs is 1,054,163. Properties of the designs—including the orders of the automorphism groups and the structures of the derived Steiner triple systems of order 15—are tabulated. A consistency check based on double counting is carried out to gain confidence in the correctness of the classification.     

Constructions for rotational Steiner quadruple systems

A direct construction for rotational Steiner quadruple systems of order p+ 1 having a nontrivial multiplier automorphism is presented, where p≡13 (mod24) is a prime. We also give two improved product constructions. By these constructions, the known existence results of rotational Steiner quadruple systems are extended. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 17: 353–368, 2009     

Existence of 3‐chromatic Steiner quadruple systems

A Steiner quadruple system of order v (briefly SQS (v)) is a pair (X, ), where X is a v‐element set and is a set of 4‐element subsets of X (called blocks or quadruples), such that each 3‐element subset of X is contained in a unique block of . The chromatic number of an SQS(v)(X, ) is the smallest m for which there is a map such that for all , where . The system (X, ) is equitably m‐chromatic if there is a proper coloring with minimal m for which the numbers differ from each other by at most 1. Linek and Mendelsohn showed that an equitably 3‐chromatic SQS(v) exists for v ≡ 4, 8, 10 (mod 12), v ≥ 16. In this article we show that an equitably 3‐chromatic SQS(v) exists for v ≡ 2 (mod 12) with v > 2. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 15: 469–477, 2007     

Classification of Cyclic Steiner Quadruple Systems

The problem of classifying cyclic Steiner quadruple systems (CSQSs) is considered. A computational approach shows that the number of isomorphism classes of such designs with orders 26 and 28 is 52,170 and 1,028,387, respectively. It is further shown that CSQSs of order 2p, where p is a prime, are isomorphic iff they are multiplier equivalent. Moreover, no CSQSs of order less than or equal to 38 are isomorphic but not multiplier equivalent.     

An improved recursive construction for disjoint Steiner quadruple systems

Let $D\left(n\right)$ be the number of pairwise disjoint Steiner quadruple systems (SQS) of order $n$. A simple counting argument shows that $D\left(n\right)\le n?3$ and a set of $n?3$ such systems is called a large set. No nontrivial large set was constructed yet, although it is known that they exist if  $n\equiv 2$ or $4\left(\mathrm{mod}6\right)$ is large enough. When $n\ge 7$ and $n\equiv 1$ or $5\left(\mathrm{mod}6\right)$, we present a recursive construction and prove a recursive formula on $D\left(4n\right)$, as follows: $$D\left(4n\right)\ge 2n+\min \left\{D\left(2n\right),2n?7\right\}.$$ The related construction has a few advantages over some of the previously known constructions for pairwise disjoint SQSs.     

The Steiner triple systems of order 19

Using an orderly algorithm, the Steiner triple systems of order are classified; there are pairwise nonisomorphic such designs. For each design, the order of its automorphism group and the number of Pasch configurations it contains are recorded; of the designs are anti-Pasch. There are three main parts of the classification: constructing an initial set of blocks, the seeds; completing the seeds to triple systems with an algorithm for exact cover; and carrying out isomorph rejection of the final triple systems. Isomorph rejection is based on the graph canonical labeling software nauty supplemented with a vertex invariant based on Pasch configurations. The possibility of using the (strongly regular) block graphs of these designs in the isomorphism tests is utilized. The aforementioned value is in fact a lower bound on the number of pairwise nonisomorphic strongly regular graphs with parameters .

     

The spectrum of equitable, 4‐chromatic Steiner quadruple systems

A Steiner quadruple system of order v (briefly an SQS(v)) is a pair (X, ) with |X| = v and a set of quadruples taken from X such that every triple in X is in a unique quadruple in . Hanani [Canad J Math 12 (1960), 145–157] showed that an SQS(v) exists if and only if v is {admissible}, that is, v = 0,1 or v ≡ 2,4 (mod 6). Each SQS(v) has a chromatic number when considered as a 4‐uniform hypergraph. Here we show that a 4‐chromatic SQS(v) exists for all admissible v ≥ 20, and that no 4‐chromatic SQS(v) exists for v < 20. Each system we construct admits a proper 4‐coloring that is equitable, that is, any two color classes differ in size by at most one. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 15: 369–392, 2007     

Some constructions for block sequences of Steiner quadruple systems with error correcting consecutive unions

In this article, we investigate a block sequence of a Steiner quadruple system which contains the blocks exactly once such that the collection of all blocks together with all unions of two consecutive blocks of the sequence forms an error correcting code with minimum distance four. In particular, we give two recursive constructions and obtain infinitely many such sequences by utilizing individual sequences as starters of the recursions. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 16: 152–163, 2008     

Constructions for cyclic 3‐designs and improved results on cyclic Steiner quadruple systems

This paper gives some recursive constructions for cyclic 3‐designs. Using these constructions we improve Grannell and Griggs's construction for cyclic Steiner quadruple systems, and many known recursive constructions for cyclic Steiner quadruple systems are unified. Finally, some new infinite families of cyclic Steiner quadruple systems are obtained. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 19:178‐201, 2011     

Translation groups of Steiner loops

If the order of any product of two different translations of a finite Steiner quasigroup of size n>3 is odd, then the group G generated by the translations of the corresponding Steiner loop of order n+1 contains the alternating group of degree n+1.     

A lower bound on the number of Semi‐Boolean quadruple systems

A Steiner quadruple system of order 2ⁿ is Semi‐Boolean (SBQS(2ⁿ) in short) if all its derived triple systems are isomorphic to the point‐line design associated with the projective geometry PG(n?1, 2). We prove by means of explicit constructions that for any n, up to isomorphism, there exist at least 2^{? 3(n?4)/2?} regular and resolvable SBQS(2ⁿ). © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 11: 229–239, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/jcd.10050     

On the Possible Automorphism Groups of a Steiner Quintuple System of Order 21

A Steiner system is called a Steiner quintuple systems of order v. The smallest order for which the existence, or otherwise, of a Steiner quintuple system is unknown is 21. In this article, we prove that, if an S(4, 5, 21) exists, the order of its full automorphism group is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 10.     

A S(3, {4, 6}, 18) with a subdesign S(3, 4, 8) does not exist

For , a S(t,K,v) design is a pair, , with |V| = v and a set of subsets of V such that each t‐subset of V is contained in a unique and for all . If , , , and is a S(t,K,u) design, then we say has a subdesign on U. We show that a S(3,{4,6},18) design with a subdesign S(3,4,8) does not exist. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 17: 36–38, 2009