Flocks of hyperbolic quadrics and linear groups containing homologies (Q1190971)

All flocks on a hyperbolic quadric in the finite projective space \(PG(3,q)\) have been classified [see \textit{J. A. Thas}, Atti Accad. Naz. Lincei, VIII. Ser., Rend., Cl. Sci. Fis. Mat. Nat. 59(1975), 83-85 (1976; Zbl 0359.50023) and Contemp. Math. 111, 187-218 (1990; Zbl 0728.51010) and \textit{L. Bader} and \textit{G. Lunardon}, Geom. Dedicata 29, No. 2, 177- 183 (1989; Zbl 0673.51010)]. The authors give a group-theoretic proof of this result for the case where \(q\) is odd. In this case, the group \(G\leq PGL(4,q)\) which preserves the flock contains at least \(q+1\) involutorial homologies. It turns out that \(G\) contains a subgroup \(R\) which fixes all lines of a regulus in the hyperbolic quadric and acts sharply transitively on the lines of the opposite regulus. Since all subgroups of \(PGL(2,q)\) are known, one can enumerate the possibilities for \(R\) and for the corresponding flocks.