Affine-invariant strictly cyclic Steiner quadruple systems (Q517265)

Let \(t\), \(v\), \(k\), \(\lambda\) be positive integers satisfying \(v > k> t\). A \(t\)-\((v,k,\lambda)\) design is an ordered pair \((V, {\mathcal B})\), where \(V\) is a finite set of \(v\) points, \(\mathcal B\) is a collection of \(k\)-subsets of \(V\), called blocks, such that every \(t\)-subset of \(V\) occurs in exactly \(\lambda\) blocks in \(\mathcal B\). A \(3\text{-}(v,4,1)\) design is called a Steiner quadruple system and denoted by \(\operatorname{SQS}(v)\). \(\operatorname{SQS}(v)\) exist if and only if \(v\equiv 2,4 \pmod{6}\). An automorphism group \(G\) of a \(t\)-design \((V,{\mathcal B})\) is a permutation group defined on \(V\) which leaves the blocks, \(\mathcal B\), invariant. A \(t\text{-}(v,k,\lambda)\)-design is called cyclic if it admits a cyclic group \(Z_v\) as its automorphism group. It is called strictly cyclic if all the cyclic orbits are full. In this paper, the authors investigate the existence of strictly cyclic SQS which are invariant under the affine group, AsSQS. In general, the number of affine orbits is much less than that of cyclic orbits and this is useful in applications. For a prime \(p\equiv 1 \pmod{4}\), the authors describe a direct construction for \(\operatorname{AsSQS}(2p)\) which requires the existence of a 1-factor of a graph defined by the generators of the projective special linear group \(\operatorname{PSL}(2,p)\). A second direct construction for an \(\operatorname{AsSQS}(2p)\) which is 2-chromatic uses a rainbow 1-factor of a specific hypergraph. They also provide recursive constructions which produce \(\operatorname{AsSQS}(2p^m)\) for \(m\) a positive integer. They use their constructions and computer searches to show that \(\operatorname{AsSQS}(2p^m)\) exist for every prime \(p\equiv 1 \pmod{4}\) with \( p < 10^5\) and any positive integer \(m\). The authors include comments on both their algorithms and on applications of the designs in optical orthogonal codes.