A note on rational normal curves totally tangent to a Hermitian variety (Q369418): Difference between revisions

Let \(q=p^s\), \(p\) a prime. For \(n \geq 2\), a Hermitian variety is a hypersurface \(X\) of \(P^n\) defined over \(F_{q^2}\) if \(X\) is projectively isomorphic over \(F_{q^2}\) to the Fermat variety \(X_\ell := \{x_0^{q+1} + \dots + x_n^{q+1} =0 \} \subset P^n\) of degree \(q+1\). The author generalizes a result of Segre on the permutable pairs of a Hermitian curve and a smooth conic by proving the following. Suppose that \(n\) is not congruent to \(0 \pmod{p}\) and \(2n \leq q\). Let \(X\) be a \(k\)-Hermitian variety in \(P^n\). (1) The set \(R_X\) of rational normal curves totally tangent to \(X\) is non-empty, and \(\mathrm{Aut}(X)\) acts on \(R_X\) transitively with the stabilizer subgroup isomorphic to \(\mathrm{PGL}_2(F_q)\). In particular, \(|R_X| = |\mathrm{PGU}_{n+1}(F_{q^2})| / |\mathrm{PGL}_2(F_q)|.\) (2) For any \(\Gamma \in R_X\), the points in \(\Gamma \cap X\) form a Baer subset of \(\Gamma\). (3) If \(X\) is a Hermitian variety, then every \(\Gamma \in R_X\) is defined over \(F_{q^2}\) and every point of \(\Gamma \cap X\) is \(F_{q^2}\)-rational.