Balanced incomplete block designs with block size 7 (Q1378860)

This paper makes considerable progress in fully determining the spectrum of balanced incomplete block designs (BIBDs) with block size \(k = 7\). This work was begun by \textit{H. Hanani} [Balanced incomplete block designs and related designs, Discrete Math. 11, 255-369 (1975; Zbl 0361.62067)] and continued by \textit{A. E. Brouwer, A. Schrijver} and \textit{H. Hanani} [Group divisible designs with block-size four, Discrete Math. 20(1977), 1-10 (1978; Zbl 0371.62105)] and by \textit{H. Hanani} [BIBDs with block-size seven, Discrete Math. 77 , No. 1-3, 89-96 (1989; Zbl 0682.05010)]. The basic constructive methods are largely taken from these papers. Hanani has shown that for \(\lambda = 6, 7, 21\) and \(42\) the necessary conditions for existence of a BIBD with \(k = 7\) are sufficient. This paper addresses the problems that Hanani left open. For \(\lambda > 2\) the construction problem is solved except for the two cases \(v=253\), \(\lambda = 4, 5\). For \(\lambda = 2\) the number of unconstructed designs is reduced to \(9\) (nonexistent for \(v = 22\), unknown for \(v = 106, 253, 274, 358, 574, 694, 988\) and \(994\)). For \(\lambda = 1\) the number of unconstructed designs is reduced to \(27\) (nonexistent for \(v = 43\), unknown for \(v = 42t+1\), \(t = 2, 3, 5, 6, 12, 14, 17, 19, 22, 27, 29, 33, 37, 39, 42, 43, 47, 59\) and \(62\), and unknown for \(v = 42t+7\), \(t = 3, 4, 6, 19, 29, 34\) and \(39\)). A side effect of this detailed work is the determination of many new group divisible designs that are used as ingredients in the constructions.