Cyclic and elementary abelian caps in projective spaces (Q1808784)

A \(k\)-cap in \(PG(n, q)\) is any set of \(k\) points, no three of which are collinear. Caps are intimately connected with linear codes over \({\mathcal F}_q\) with minimum distance at least four. By extending ideas developed in an earlier paper [\textit{A. Cossidente} and \textit{L. Storme}, Rend. Circ. Mat. Palermo II 51, 57-69 (1998; Zbl 0920.51005)], the authors here construct three new infinite families of cyclic caps: \((q^n+1)(q-1)\)-caps in \(PG(2n+1,q)\), \((q^n+1)(q+1)\)-caps in \(PG(2n+1,q)\) for \(n\) even, and \((q^n-1)(q+1)/gcd (q-1,2)\)-caps in \(PG(2n+1,q)\) for \(n\) odd. In all cases the key ingredient is to use an appropriate field model for \(PG(2n+1,q)\) equipped with a trace-orthogonal basis. The caps in the first family can always be extended by additional two points. A table is given listing the seven known infinite families of cyclic caps and a generator polynomial for each of the corresponding pseudo-cyclic codes. In addition, by using a self-dual normal basis of \({\mathcal F}_{q^{4n+2}}\) over \({\mathcal F}_{q^{2}}\), the authors demonstrate that the \((q^{2n+1}+1)/(q+1)\)-caps in \(PG(2n,q^2)\) constructed by \textit{B. C. Kestenband} [Can. J. Math. 32, 1299-1305 (1980; Zbl 0449.51002)] are the same as the similarly sized caps constructed by the reviewer [\textit{G. L. Ebert}, Can. J. Math. 37, 1163-1175 (1985; Zbl 0577.51001)]. The missing link was to show that the Kestenband caps are orbits of a (cyclic) Singer subgroup. It should be noted that the equivalence of these two constructions in the case \(n = 1\) was previously shown in [\textit{E. Boros} and \textit{T. Szőnyi}, Combinatorica 6, 261-268 (1986; Zbl 0605.51008)], and the present proof of equivalence is based on this earlier work of Boros and Szőnyi. Finally, the authors construct three more infinite families of caps as orbits under appropriate elementary abelian groups. As in all the previous constructions, the caps lie in the intersection of various quadrics. The elementary abelian caps so constructed are a \(q^{2n}\)-cap in \(PG(3n,q)\), a \(2q^{2n}\)-cap in \(PG(2n+1,q)\), and a \(q^{2n+1}\)-cap in \(PG(3n+2,q)\).