Some characterizations of the exceptional planar embedding of W(2) (Q5901358)

Up to some well-understood examples every finite classical generalized quadrangle embedded in projective space PG\((d,q)\) with \(d \geq 3\) is derived from its standard embedding by field extension and projection. For dimension \(d=2\) this is no longer true. Indeed, the hyperoval- embedding of the unique generalized quadrangle of order 2 into PG(2,4) does not arise from any embedding in PG\((d,q)\) by projection for any \(d \geq 3\) and \(q=4^n\), \(n\geq1\). More examples of this phenonemon are not known. The authors give group-theoretic as well as geometric characterizations of the hyperoval-embedding.