Hyperovals on \(\mathcal H(3,q^2)\) (Q2431595): Difference between revisions

A \textit{hyperoval} of a polar space \(P\) is a non-empty set of points of \(P\) which intersects every singular line of \(P\) in zero or two points. This article constructs infinite families of transitive hyperovals of the Hermitian surface \(H(3,q^2)\), \(q\) odd, of sizes \(q^3+1\) and \(q^3-q\). The author also mentions that if \(H\) is a hyperoval of \(H(3,q^2)\) containing a chord but not its conjugate, then a Thas-Payne derivation yields another hyperoval not equivalent to \(H\). This fact applies to the two previous infinite families. Other infinite families of hyperovals of size \(2(q^2+1)\) are constructed from 2-ovoids of the symplectic space \(W_3(q)\), for any \(q\). Some sporadic examples are also described. The article discusses also a result on packings of the Hermitian curve \(H(2,q^2)\). A \textit{spread} of \(H(2,q^2)\) is a partitioning of the points of \(H(2,q^2)\) into \((q+1)\)-secants. A spread of \(H(2,q^2)\) is \textit{linear} if it consists of all \((q+1)\)-secants through a point \(P\not\in H(2,q^2)\), together with the \((q+1)\)-secant arising from the polar line of \(P\) with respect to \(H(2,q^2)\). A \textit{packing} of \(H(2,q^2)\) is a partitioning of the \((q+1)\)-secants of \(H(2,q^2)\) into spreads. A packing of \(H(2,q^2)\) is called \textit{classical } when it consists of the linear spreads defined by the points \(P\) on a tangent line to \(H(2,q^2)\). The author proves that if a packing of \(H(2,q^2)\) consists completely of linear spreads, then the packing is classical. The article concludes with an example of an irreducible 2-ovoid of \(H(3,25)\), i.e., a 2-ovoid that is not the union of two disjoint ovoids is presented.