Caps Embedded in Grassmannians

This paper is concerned with constructing caps embedded in line Grassmannians. In particular, we construct a cap of size q³ +2q²+1 embedded in the Klein quadric of PG(5,q) for even q, and show that any cap maximally embedded in the Klein quadric which is larger than this one must have size equal to the theoretical upper bound, namely q³+2q²+q+2. It is not known if caps achieving this upper bound exist for even q > 2.     

Complete ( q 2?+ q +?8)/2-caps in the spaces PG (3, q ), q ≡ 2 (mod 3) an odd prime, and a complete 20-cap in PG (3, 5)

An infinite family of complete (q ² + q + 8)/2-caps is constructed in PG(3, q) where q is an odd prime ≡ 2 (mod 3), q ≥ 11. This yields a new lower bound on the second largest size of complete caps. A variant of our construction also produces one of the two previously known complete 20-caps in PG(3, 5). The associated code weight distribution and other combinatorial properties of the new (q ² + q + 8)/2-caps and the 20-cap in PG(3, 5) are investigated. The updated table of the known sizes of the complete caps in PG(3, q) is given. As a byproduct, we have found that the unique complete 14-arc in PG(2, 17) contains 10 points on a conic. Actually, this shows that an earlier general result dating back to the Seventies fails for q = 17.      

Bicovering arcs and small complete caps from elliptic curves

Bicovering arcs in Galois affine planes of odd order are a powerful tool for the construction of complete caps in spaces of arbitrarily higher dimensions. The aim of this paper is to investigate whether the arcs contained in elliptic cubic curves are bicovering. As a result, bicovering k-arcs in AG(2,q) of size k≤q/3 are obtained, provided that q?1 has a prime divisor m with 7<m<(1/8)q ^1/4. Such arcs produce complete caps of size kq ^(N?2)/2 in affine spaces of dimension N≡0(mod4). When q=p ^h with p prime and h≤8, these caps are the smallest known complete caps in AG(N,q), N≡0(mod4).     

Finding small regular graphs of girths 6, 8 and 12 as subgraphs of cages

Small k-regular graphs of girth g where g=6,8,12 are obtained as subgraphs of minimal cages. More precisely, we obtain (k,6)-graphs on 2(kq−1) vertices, (k,8)-graphs on 2k(q²−1) vertices and (k,12)-graphs on 2kq²(q²−1), where q is a prime power and k is a positive integer such that q≥k≥3. Some of these graphs have the smallest number of vertices known so far among the regular graphs with girth g=6,8,12.     

Conics and caps

In this article, we begin with arcs in PG(2, q ⁿ ) and show that they correspond to caps in PG(2n, q) via the André/Bruck?CBose representation of PG(2, q ⁿ ) in PG(2n, q). In particular, we show that a conic of PG(2, q ⁿ ) that meets ?_?? in x points corresponds to a (q ⁿ ?+?1 ? x)-cap in PG(2n, q). If x?=?0, this cap is the intersection of n quadrics. If x?=?1 or 2, this cap is contained in the intersection of n quadrics and we discuss ways of extending these caps. We also investigate the structure of the n quadrics.     

Small Point Sets that Meet All Generators of W(2n+1,q)

Let W(2n+1,q), n1, be the symplectic polar space of finite order q and (projective) rank n. We investigate the smallest cardinality of a set of points that meets every generator of W(2n+1,q). For q even, we show that this cardinality is q ⁿ⁺¹+q ^{n–1, and we characterize all sets of this cardinality. For q odd, better bounds are known.     

An infinite family of symmetric designs

In this paper, using the construction method of [3], we show that if q>2 is a prime power such that there exists an affine plane of order q?1, then there exists a strongly divisible 2?(q?1)(q^h?1), q^h?1(q?1), q^h?1) design for every h?2. We show that these quasi-residual designs are embeddable, and hence establish the existence of an infinite family of symmetric 2?(q^h+1?q+1,q^h, q^h?1) designs. This construction may be regarded as a generalisation of the construction of [1, Chapter 4, Section 1] and [4].     

On codewords in the dual code of classical generalised quadrangles and classical polar spaces

In [J.L. Kim, K. Mellinger, L. Storme, Small weight codewords in LDPC codes defined by (dual) classical generalised quadrangles, Des. Codes Cryptogr. 42 (1) (2007) 73-92], the codewords of small weight in the dual code of the code of points and lines of Q(4,q) are characterised. Inspired by this result, using geometrical arguments, we characterise the codewords of small weight in the dual code of the code of points and generators of Q⁺(5,q) and H(5,q²), and we present lower bounds on the weight of the codewords in the dual of the code of points and k-spaces of the classical polar spaces. Furthermore, we investigate the codewords with the largest weights in these codes, where for q even and k sufficiently small, we determine the maximum weight and characterise the codewords of maximum weight. Moreover, we show that there exists an interval such that for every even number w in this interval, there is a codeword in the dual code of Q⁺(5,q), q even, with weight w and we show that there is an empty interval in the weight distribution of the dual of the code of Q(4,q), q even. To prove this, we show that a blocking set of Q(4,q), q even, of size q²+1+r, where 0<r<(q+4)/6, contains an ovoid of Q(4,q), improving on [J. Eisfeld, L. Storme, T. Sz?nyi, P. Sziklai, Covers and blocking sets of classical generalised quadrangles, Discrete Math. 238 (2001) 35-51, Theorem 9].     

Improved book-embeddings of incomplete hypercubes

In this paper, we show that any incomplete hypercube with, at most, 2ⁿ+2ⁿ⁻¹+2ⁿ⁻² vertices can be embedded in n−1 pages for all n≥4. For the case n≥4, this result improves Fang and Lai’s result that any incomplete hypercube with, at most, 2ⁿ+2ⁿ⁻¹ vertices can be embedded in n−1 pages for all n≥2.Besides this, we show that the result can be further improved when n is large — e.g., any incomplete hypercube with at most 2ⁿ+2ⁿ⁻¹+2ⁿ⁻²+2ⁿ⁻⁷ (respectively, 2ⁿ+2ⁿ⁻¹+2ⁿ⁻²+2ⁿ⁻⁷+2ⁿ⁻²³⁰) vertices can be embedded in n−1 pages for all n≥9 (respectively, n≥232).     

New higher order methods for solving nonlinear equations with multiple roots

For a nonlinear equation f(x)=0 having a multiple root we consider Steffensen’s transformation, T. Using the transformation, say, F_q(x)=T^qf(x) for integer q≥2, repeatedly, we develop higher order iterative methods which require neither derivatives of f(x) nor the multiplicity of the root. It is proved that the convergence order of the proposed iterative method is 1+2^q−2 for any equation having a multiple root of multiplicity m≥2. The efficiency of the new method is shown by the results for some numerical examples.     

The Rotation Number Approach to the Periodic Fuc caron ik Spectrum

In this paper, we study the Fu?ik spectrum of the problem: (^*) ?+(λ₊+q₊(t))x₊+(λ₋+q₋(t))x₋=0 with the 2π-periodic boundary condition, where q_±(t) are 2π-periodic. After introducing a rotation number function ρ(λ₊, λ₋) for (^*), we prove using the Hamiltonian structure and the positive homogeneity of (^*) that for any positive integer n, the two boundary curves of the domain ρ⁻¹(n/2) in the (λ₊, λ₋)-plane are Fu?ik curves of (^*). The result obtained in this paper shows that such a spectrum problem is much like that of the higher dimensional Fu?ik spectrum with the Dirichlet condition. In particular, it remains open if the Fu?ik spectrum of (^*) is composed of only these curves.     

Tight sets and m-ovoids of finite polar spaces

An intriguing set of points of a generalised quadrangle was introduced in [J. Bamberg, M. Law, T. Penttila, Tight sets and m-ovoids of generalised quadrangles, Combinatorica, in press] as a unification of the pre-existing notions of tight set and m-ovoid. It was shown in [J. Bamberg, M. Law, T. Penttila, Tight sets and m-ovoids of generalised quadrangles, Combinatorica, in press] that every intriguing set of points in a finite generalised quadrangle is a tight set or an m-ovoid (for some m). Moreover, it was shown that an m-ovoid and an i-tight set of a common generalised quadrangle intersect in mi points. These results yielded new proofs of old results, and in this paper, we study the natural analogue of intriguing sets in finite polar spaces of higher rank. In particular, we use the techniques developed in this paper to give an alternative proof of a result of Thas [J.A. Thas, Ovoids and spreads of finite classical polar spaces, Geom. Dedicata 10 (1-4) (1981) 135-143] that there are no ovoids of H(2r,q²), Q⁻(2r+1,q), and W(2r−1,q) for r>2. We also strengthen a result of Drudge on the non-existence of tight sets in W(2r−1,q), H(2r+1,q²), and Q⁺(2r+1,q), and we give a new proof of a result of De Winter, Luyckx, and Thas [S. De Winter, J.A. Thas, SPG-reguli satisfying the polar property and a new semipartial geometry, Des. Codes Cryptogr. 32 (1-3) (2004) 153-166; D. Luyckx, m-Systems of finite classical polar spaces, PhD thesis, The University of Ghent, 2002] that an m-system of W(4m+3,q) or Q⁻(4m+3,q) is a pseudo-ovoid of the ambient projective space.     

Primitive complete normal bases: Existence in certain 2-power extensions and lower bounds

The present paper is a continuation of the author’s work (Hachenberger (2001) [3]) on primitivity and complete normality. For certain 2-power extensions E over a Galois field F_q, we are going to establish the existence of a primitive element which simultaneously generates a normal basis over every intermediate field of E/F_q. The main result is as follows: Letq≡3mod4and letm(q)≥3be the largest integer such that2^m(q)dividesq²−1; ifE=F_q^2l, wherel≥m(q)+3, then there exists a primitive element inEthat is completely normal overF_q.Our method not only shows existence but also gives a fairly large lower bound on the number of primitive completely normal elements. In the above case this number is at least 4⋅(q−1)^2l−2. We are further going to discuss lower bounds on the number of such elements in r-power extensions, where r=2 and q≡1mod4, or where r is an odd prime, or where r is equal to the characteristic of the underlying field.     

Caps with free pairs of points

We say that two points x, y of a cap C form a free pair of points if any plane containing x and y intersects C in at most three points. For given N and q, we denote by m₂⁺ (N, q) the maximum number of points in a cap of PG(N, q) that contains at least one free pair of points. It is straightforward to prove that m₂⁺ (N, q) ≤ (q^N-1 + 2q − 3)/(q − 1), and it is known that this bound is sharp for q = 2 and all N. We use geometric constructions to prove that this bound is sharp for all q when N ≤ 4. We briefly survey the motivation for constructions of caps with free pairs of points which comes from the area of statistical experimental design. Research supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and MITACS NCE of Canada.     

Linear (q+1)-fold Blocking Sets in PG(2, q4)

A (q+1)-fold blocking set of size (q+1)(q⁴+q²+1) in PG(2, q⁴) which is not the union of q+1 disjoint Baer subplanes, is constructed     

Vertex-disjoint directed cycles of prescribed length in tournaments with given minimum out-degree and in-degree

In a recent paper, Bessy, Sereni and the author (see [3]) have proved that for r≥1, a tournament with minimum out-degree and in-degree both greater than or equal to 2r−1 contains at least r vertex-disjoint directed triangles. In this paper, we generalize this result; more precisely, we prove that for given integers q≥3 and r≥1, a tournament with minimum out-degree and in-degree both greater than or equal to (q−1)r−1 contains at least r vertex-disjoint directed cycles of length q. We will use an auxiliary result established in [3], concerning a union of sets contained in another union of sets. We finish by giving a lower bound on the maximum number of vertex-disjoint directed cycles of length q when only the minimum out-degree is supposed to be greater than or equal to (q−1)r−1.     

Hamilton cycles in digraphs of unitary matrices

A set S⊆V is called a q⁺-set (q^--set, respectively) if S has at least two vertices and, for every u∈S, there exists v∈S,v≠u such that N⁺(u)∩N⁺(v)≠∅ (N^-(u)∩N^-(v)≠∅, respectively). A digraph D is called s-quadrangular if, for every q⁺-set S, we have |∪{N⁺(u)∩N⁺(v):u≠v,u,v∈S}|?|S| and, for every q^--set S, we have |∪{N^-(u)∩N^-(v):u,v∈S)}?|S|. We conjecture that every strong s-quadrangular digraph has a Hamilton cycle and provide some support for this conjecture.     

Nonlinear biharmonic equations with negative exponents

In this paper, we study global positive C⁴ solutions of the geometrically interesting equation: Δ²u+u−q=0 with q>0 in R³. We will establish several existence and non-existence theorems, including the classification result for q=7 with exactly linear growth condition.     

On multiple caps in finite projective spaces

In this paper, we consider new results on (k, n)-caps with n > 2. We provide a lower bound on the size of such caps. Furthermore, we generalize two product constructions for (k, 2)-caps to caps with larger n. We give explicit constructions for good caps with small n. In particular, we determine the largest size of a (k, 3)-cap in PG(3, 5), which turns out to be 44. The results on caps in PG(3, 5) provide a solution to four of the eight open instances of the main coding theory problem for q = 5 and k = 4.     

On sizes of complete caps in projective spaces PG(n, q) and arcs in planes PG(2, q)

More than thirty new upper bounds on the smallest size t ₂(2, q) of a complete arc in the plane PG(2, q) are obtained for (169 ≤ q ≤ 839. New upper bounds on the smallest size t ₂(n, q) of the complete cap in the space PG(n, q) are given for n = 3 and 25 ≤ q ≤ 97, q odd; n = 4 and q = 7, 8, 11, 13, 17; n = 5 and q = 5, 7, 8, 9; n = 6 and q = 4, 8. The bounds are obtained by computer search for new small complete arcs and caps. New upper bounds on the largest size m ₂(n, q) of a complete cap in PG(n, q) are given for q = 4, n = 5, 6, and q = 3, n = 7, 8, 9. The new lower bound 534 ≤ m ₂(8, 3) is obtained by finding a complete 534-cap in PG(8, 3). Many new sizes of complete arcs and caps are obtained. The updated tables of upper bounds for t ₂(n, q), n ≥ 2, and of the spectrum of known sizes for complete caps are given. Interesting complete caps in PG(3, q) of large size are described. A proof of the construction of complete caps in PG(3, 2 ^h ) announced in previous papers is given; this is modified from a construction of Segre. In PG(2, q), for q = 17, δ = 4, and q = 19, 27, δ = 3, we give complete ${(\frac{1}{2}(q + 3) + \delta)}$ -arcs other than conics that share ${\frac{1}{2}(q + 3)}$ points with an irreducible conic. It is shown that they are unique up to collineation. In PG(2, q), ${{q \equiv 2}}$ (mod 3) odd, we propose new constructions of ${\frac{1}{2} (q + 7)}$ -arcs and show that they are complete for q ≤ 3701.