A characteristic property of the Grassmann manifold representing the lines of a projective space (Q1057494)

Given any projective space \({\mathcal P}\) of dimension at least three, the partial line space G(\({\mathcal P})=(S,{\mathcal R})\) with the lines of \({\mathcal P}\) as points and the pencils of lines of \({\mathcal P}\) as the lines is called the Grassmann space of \({\mathcal P}.\) The main result of this paper is the following. If (S,\({\mathcal R})\) is a proper partial line space whose lines are not maximal subspaces then it is isomorphic to the Grassmann space of a projective space, if it has a covering \(\Sigma\) of maximal subspaces with the property that for each \(T\epsilon\) \(\Sigma\) and \(P\epsilon\) S-T every element of \(\Sigma\) through P intersects T in a unique point and these points trace out a line formed by all points of T collinear with P. Using this, an interesting extension has been obtained, to the infinite case of an earlier result by \textit{P. M. Lo Re} and the latter author [J. Geom. 17, 50-60 (1981; Zbl 0492.51005)].