On the flocks of \(Q^+(3,q)\) (Q1120824)

A partition of the hyperbolic quadric \(Q^+(3,q)\) by irreducible conics is called a flock of \(Q^+(3,q)\). The flock is called linear if and only if it arises by intersecting \(Q^+(3,q)\) with the \(q+1\) planes of \(\mathrm{PG}(3,q)\) through an exterior line to the quadric. \textit{J. Thas} [Atti Accad. Naz. Lincei, VII. Ser., Rend., Cl. Sci. Fis. Mat. Nat. 59(1975), 83--85 (1976; Zbl 0359.50023)] showed that each flock of \(Q^+(3,q)\) is linear when \(q\) is even, and also constructed a class of nonlinear flocks when \(q\) is odd. Recently, several investigators independently discovered flocks of \(Q^+(3,q)\) that were neither linear nor Thas flocks. These flocks occurred for \(q=11, 23\) and \(59\), and could be constructed from exceptional nearfields. Even more recently, Thas proved that for \(q\equiv 1\pmod 4\), any flock of \(Q^+(3,q)\) must be linear or a Thas flock. In the paper under review, the authors extend this work to show that any flock of \(Q^+(3,q)\) must be linear, a Thas flock, or one of the three exceptional flocks mentioned above.