Some remarks on orders of projective planes,planar difference sets and multipliers

In this paper we investigate how finite group theory, number theory, together with the geometry of substructures can be used in the study of finite projective planes. Some remarks concerning the function v(x)= x ² + x + 1are presented, for example, how the geometry of a subplane affects the factorization of v(x). The rest of this paper studies abelian planar difference sets by multipliers.Partially supported by NSA grant MDA904-90-H-1013.     

Upper chromatic number of finite projective planes

For a finite projective plane , let denote the maximum number of classes in a partition of the point set, such that each line has at least two points in the same partition class. We prove that the best possible general estimate in terms of the order of projective planes is , which is tight apart from a multiplicative constant in the third term :

• (1) As holds for every projective plane of order q.
• (2) If q is a square, then the Galois plane of order q satisfies .

Our results asymptotically solve a ten‐year‐old open problem in the coloring theory of mixed hypergraphs, where is termed the upper chromatic number of . Further improvements on the upper bound (1) are presented for Galois planes and their subclasses. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 16: 221–230, 2008     

The nonexistence of projective planes of order 12 with a collineation group of order 8

In this article, we prove that there does not exist a symmetric transversal design which admits an automorphism group of order 4 acting semiregularly on the point set and the block set. We use an orbit theorem for symmetric transversal designs to prove our result. As a corollary of the result, we prove that there is no projective plane of order 12 admitting a collineation group of order 8. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 16: 411–430, 2008     

Orthomorphisms and the construction of projective planes

We discuss a simple computational method for the construction of finite projective planes. The planes so constructed all possess a special group of automorphisms which we call the group of translations, but they are not always translation planes. Of the four planes of order 9, three admit the additive group of the field as a group of translations, and the present construction yields all three. The known planes of order 16 comprise four self-dual planes and eighteen other planes (nine dual pairs); of these, the method gives three of the four self-dual planes and six of the nine dual pairs, including the ``sporadic' (not translation) plane of Mathon.

     

Hearing the weights of weighted projective planes

Which properties of an orbifold can we “hear,” i.e., which topological and geometric properties of an orbifold are determined by its Laplace spectrum? We consider this question for a class of four-dimensional Kähler orbifolds: weighted projective planes \(M := {\mathbb{C}}P^2(N_1, N_2, N_3)\) with three isolated singularities. We show that the spectra of the Laplacian acting on 0- and 1-forms on M determine the weights N ₁, N ₂, and N ₃. The proof involves analysis of the heat invariants using several techniques, including localization in equivariant cohomology. We show that we can replace knowledge of the spectrum on 1-forms by knowledge of the Euler characteristic and obtain the same result. Finally, after determining the values of N ₁, N ₂, and N ₃, we can hear whether M is endowed with an extremal Kähler metric.     

Einstein hypersurfaces of the Cayley projective plane

We prove that the Cayley hyperbolic plane admits no Einstein hypersurfaces and that the only Einstein hypersurfaces in the Cayley projective plane are geodesic spheres of a certain radius; this completes the classification of Einstein hypersurfaces in rank-one symmetric spaces.     

Simultaneous generalizations of the theorems of Ceva and Menelaus for field planes

In 1992, Klamkin and Liu proved a very general result in the Extended Euclidean Plane that contains the theorems of Ceva and Menelaus as special cases. In this article, we extend the Klamkin and Liu result to projective planes PG(2, 𝔽) where 𝔽 is a field.     

A fake projective plane constructed from an elliptic surface with multiplicities (2,4)

Given any (2,4)-elliptic surface with nine smooth rational curves,eight (2)-curves and one (3)-curve,forming a Dynkin diagram of type [2,2][2,2][2,2][2,2,3],we show that a fake projective plane can be constructed from it by taking a degree 3 cover and then a degree 7 cover.We also determine the types of singular fibres of such a (2,4)-elliptic surface.     

On quasiregular collineation groups of projective planes

We investigate quasiregular collineation groups of type (d) in the Dembowski-Piper classification. We prove that the Sylow 2-subgroup of as well as the Sylow 2-subgroup of its multiplier group have to be cyclic. We use these results to obtain new necessary conditions on the existence of affine difference sets.Research partially supported by NSA grant #MDA 904-90-H-4008.     

Uniqueness of some cyclic projective planes

For n < 41 and for {121, 125, 128, 169, 256, 1024}, every cyclic projective plane of order n is desarguesian.      

The width of quadrangulations of the projective plane

We show that every 4‐chromatic graph on n vertices, with no two vertex‐disjoint odd cycles, has an odd cycle of length at most . Let G be a nonbipartite quadrangulation of the projective plane on n vertices. Our result immediately implies that G has edge‐width at most , which is sharp for infinitely many values of n. We also show that G has face‐width (equivalently, contains an odd cycle transversal of cardinality) at most , which is a constant away from the optimal; we prove a lower bound of . Finally, we show that G has an odd cycle transversal of size at most inducing a single edge, where Δ is the maximum degree. This last result partially answers a question of Nakamoto and Ozeki.     

On the density of foliations without algebraic solutions on weighted projective planes

We prove that a generic holomorphic foliation on a weighted projective plane has no algebraic solutions when the degree is big enough. We also prove an analogous result for foliations on Hirzebruch surfaces.     

On the Riemannian curvature tensor of a real hypersurface in a complex projective space

We consider real hypersurfaces M in complex projective space equipped with both the Levi–Civita and generalized Tanaka–Webster connections and classify them when the covariant derivatives associated with both connections, either in the direction of the structure vector field or any direction of the maximal holomorphic distribution, coincide when applying to the Riemannian curvature tensor of the real hypersurface.     

Spin(9) geometry of the octonionic Hopf fibration

We deal with Riemannian properties of the octonionic Hopf fibration S ¹⁵ → S ⁸, in terms of the structure given by its symmetry group Spin(9). In particular, we show that any vertical vector field has at least one zero, thus reproving the non-existence of S ¹ subfibrations. We then discuss Spin(9)-structures from a conformal viewpoint and determine the structure of compact locally conformally parallel Spin(9)-manifolds. Eventually, we give a list of examples of locally conformally parallel Spin(9)-manifolds.     

The maximal size of 6- and 7-arcs in projective Hjelmslev planes over chain rings of order 9

We complete the determination of the maximum sizes of (k,n)-arcs,n≤12,in the projective Hjelmslev planes over the two (proper) chain rings Z 9=Z/9Z and S 3=F 3 [X]/(X 2) of order 9 by resolving the hitherto open cases n=6 and n=7.Parts of our proofs rely on decidedly geometric properties of the planes such as Desargues’ theorem and the existence of certain subplanes.     

Some conformal and projective scalar invariants of Riemannian manifolds

It is proved that, on any closed oriented Riemannian n-manifold, the vector spaces of conformal Killing, Killing, and closed conformal Killing r-forms, where 1 ≤ r ≤ n ? 1, have finite dimensions t _r , k _r , and p _r , respectively. The numbers t _r are conformal scalar invariants of the manifold, and the numbers k _r and p _r are projective scalar invariants; they are dual in the sense that t _r = t _n?r and k _r = p _n?r . Moreover, an explicit expression for a conformal Killing r-form on a conformally flat Riemannian n-manifold is given.     

Secant planes of projective curves embedded by nonspecial line bundles

For a nonspecial line bundle ? on a smooth curve X we consider a presentation ??𝒦_X?D+E which is minimal with respect to deg E. If ? is very ample, then this minimality means that any n-points of φ_?(X) with n≤deg E?1 are in general position while φ_?(E) spans a (deg E?2)-plane. In this work, we investigate conditions on D and E for ??𝒦_X?D+E to be minimal. We also observe s-secant (s?k?1)-planes which are minimal with respect to the secant degree s for a given k. We apply minimal presentations to problems about the exactness of Green-Lazarsfeld’s conjecture on property (N_p).     

On arcs sharing the maximum number of points with ovals in cyclic affine planes of odd order

The sporadic complete 12‐arc in PG(2, 13) contains eight points from a conic. In PG(2,q) with q>13 odd, all known complete k‐arcs sharing exactly ½(q+3) points with a conic 𝒞 have size at most ½(q+3)+2, with only two exceptions, both due to Pellegrino, which are complete (½(q+3)+3) arcs, one in PG(2, 19) and another in PG(2, 43). Here, three further exceptions are exhibited, namely a complete (½(q+3)+4)‐arc in PG(2, 17), and two complete (½(q+3)+3)‐arcs, one in PG(2, 27) and another in PG(2, 59). The main result is Theorem 6.1 which shows the existence of a (½(q^r+3)+3)‐arc in PG(2,q^r) with r odd and q≡3 (mod 4) sharing ½(q^r+3) points with a conic, whenever PG(2,q) has a (½(q^r+3)+3)‐arc sharing ½(q^r+3) points with a conic. A survey of results for smaller q obtained with the use of the MAGMA package is also presented. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 18: 25–47, 2010