A class of completek-caps inPG(3,q) forq an odd prime

The main problem on caps, posed originally by Segre in the fifties, is to determine the values of k for which there exists a complete k-cap. Very few results on this problem are known. The cardinality of the largest cap(s) and the smallest complete cap(s) are crucial. In this paper it is shown that there exist complete k-caps in PG(3, q), q an odd prime 5 or q = 9, such that k = (q² + q + 6)/3 or k = (q² + 2q + 6)/3. These complete caps are smaller than those currently known for q odd.In memoriam Giuseppe Tallini     

Small complete caps in PG(N,q), q even

A new family of small complete caps in PG(N,q), q even, is constructed. Apart from small values of either N or q, it provides an improvement on the currently known upper bounds on the size of the smallest complete cap in PG(N,q): for N even, the leading term is replaced by with , for N odd the leading term is replaced by with . © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 15: 420–436, 2007     

Small complete caps in Galois affine spaces

Some new families of caps in Galois affine spaces AG(N, q) of dimension N≡ 0(mod 4) and odd order q are constructed. Such caps are proven to be complete by using some new ideas depending on the concept of a regular point with respect to a complete plane arc. As a corollary, an improvement on the currently known upper bounds on the size of the smallest complete caps in AG(N, q) is obtained. This research was performed within the activity of GNSAGA of the Italian INDAM, with the financial support of the Italian Ministry MIUR project “Strutture geometriche, combinatorica e loro applicazioni”, PRIN 2004–2005.     

On the genus of a cyclic curve over a finite field

Cyclic curves, i.e. curves fixed by a cyclic collineation group, play a central role in the investigation of cyclic arcs in Desarguesian projective planes. In this paper, the genus of a cyclic curve arising from a cyclic k-arc of Singer type is computed.     

New inductive constructions of complete caps in PG(N,q), q even

Some new families of small complete caps in PG(N, q), q even, are described. By using inductive arguments, the problem of the construction of small complete caps in projective spaces of arbitrary dimensions is reduced to the same problem in the plane. The caps constructed in this article provide an improvement on the currently known upper bounds on the size of the smallest complete cap in PG(N, q), N≥4, for all q≥2³. In particular, substantial improvements are obtained for infinite values of q square, including q=2^2Cm, C≥5, m≥3; for q=2^Cm, C≥5, m≥9, with C, m odd; and for all q≤2¹⁸. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 18: 177–201, 2010     

A characterization of PGL(2, q), q odd

Following the lines of [10], we give a characterization of the group PGL(2, q), q odd, in terms of involutions.Work performed under the auspicies of G.N.S.A.C.A. of C.N.R. supported by the 40% grants of M.P.I.     

Infinite family of large complete arcs in PG(2, q n ), with q odd and n > 1 odd

For q odd and n > 1 odd, a new infinite family of large complete arcs K′ in PG(2, q ⁿ ) is constructed from complete arcs K in PG(2, q) which have the following property with respect to an irreducible conic ${\mathcal{C}}$ in PG(2, q): all the points of K not in ${\mathcal{C}}$ are all internal or all external points to ${\mathcal{C}}$ according as q ≡ 1 (mod 4) or q ≡ 3 (mod 4).     

Blockings-dimensional subspaces by lines inPG(2s,q)

We investigate sets of lines inPG(2s,q) such that everys-dimensional subspace contains a line of this set. We determine the minimum number of lines in such a set and show that there is only one type of such a set with this minimum number of lines.     

The affine planeAG(2,q),q odd,has a unique one point extension

Summary LetJ be a finite inversive plane of odd orderq. If for at least one pointp ofJ the internal affine planeJ _p is Desarguesian, thenJ is Miquelian. Other formulation: the finite Desarguesian affine plane of odd orderq has a unique one point extension; this extension is the Miquelian inversive plane of orderq. It follows that there is a unique inversive plane of orderq, withq{3, 5, 7}.Oblatum 23-X-1992 & 24-I-1994     

Blocking sets of nonsecant lines to a conic in PG(2,q), q odd

In a previous paper 1 , all point sets of minimum size in PG(2,q), blocking all external lines to a given irreducible conic , have been determined for every odd q. Here we obtain a similar classification for those point sets of minimum size, which meet every external and tangent line to . © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.