Distance-\(j\) ovoids and related structures in generalized polygons (Q557088): Difference between revisions

A weak generalised \(n\)-gon \(\Gamma=(P,L,I)\) is an incidence structure whose incidence graph has diameter \(n\) and girth \(2n\). If each line of \(\Gamma\) is incident with exactly \(s+1\) points and each point is incident with \(t+1\) lines, then \(\Gamma\) is said to have order \((s,t)\). The distance \(d(p,q)\) between two elements of \(\Gamma\) is their distance in the incidence graph. A distance-\(j\) ovoid of \(\Gamma\) is a subset \(O\subseteq P\) such that any two elements of \(O\) are at least at distance \(2j\) and for any element \(p\in P\) there exists some \(q\in O\) such that \(d(p,q)\leq j\). The dual notion of distance-\(j\) ovoid is that of distance-\(j\) spread. Distance-\(j\) ovoids in finite weak generalised \(n\)-gons give rise to perfect codes (for odd \(j\)) and are also related to semipartial geometries, strongly regular graphs, \(1\)-systems, etc. In the first part of the paper under review, the following theorem on the existence of distance-\(j\) ovoids is proven. Theorem 1. If a finite weak generalised octagon of order \((s,t)\) admits a distance--\(3\) ovoid, then \(s=2t\). If a finite weak generalised dodecagon of order \((s,t)\) admits a distance-\(3\) ovoid, then \(t=1\) and either \(s=1\) or \(s=3\). No finite weak generalised dodecagon with an order \((s,t)\) has a distance--\(5\) ovoid. In the second part of the paper, the notion of a distance-\(j\) flovead is introduced. Recall that the double \(2\Gamma\) of a weak generalised \(n\)--gon \(\Gamma\) is the incidence structure whose points are the points and the lines of \(\Gamma\) and whose lines are the flags of \(\Gamma\). Distance between two elements of \(2\Gamma\) is defined, as before, as their distance in the incidence graph of the structure. A distance-\(j\) flovead of a weak generalised polygon \(\Gamma\) is a set \(F\) of flags in \(\Gamma\) such that: (i) any two flags of \(F\) are at least at distance \(j\) apart; (ii) given any flag \(T\) in \(\Gamma\), there is a flag \(G\in F\) such that \(d(F,G)\leq j/2\). Several results are proven on distance-\(j\) floveads. In particular, it is shown that: (a) If a finite weak generalised \(n\)--gon with order \((s,t)\) admits a distance--\(j\) flovead with \(j\) odd, then \(s=t\), \(j=3\) and \((n,s)\in\{(3,1),(4,2),(6,1),(6,3),(12,1)\}\); (b) For even \(j\) there is a close relationship between distance--\(j\) floveads and ovoid--spread pairings, that is sets of flags of \(\Gamma\) whose points form an ovoid and whose lines form a spread. Namely, in a finite weak generalised \(n\)--gon \(\Gamma\) with \(n\) even and order \((s,t)\), distance \(n\)--floveads and ovoid--spread pairings are the same. Furthermore, some bounds for the size of distance--\(j\) floveads are determined and extremal cases are investigated. The paper closes with the description of the construction of some distance--\(2\) floveads.