A remark on Grassmann spaces and half-spin geometries (Q1315383)

The author considers parapolar spaces \(({\mathbf P}, {\mathbf L})\) with thick lines with the property that for each maximal singular subspace \(M\) and point \(x\) not incident with \(M\), \(x^ \perp\cap M\) is either empty or contains a line. Hereby \(x^ \perp\) denotes the set of all points collinear with \(x\). Moreover it is required that for collinear points \(x\), \(y\) not in \(M\) with \(x^ \perp \cap M\) properly containing \(y^ \perp \cap M\), the set \(y^ \perp\cap M\) is empty. The author gives an equivalent property and proves that a parapolar space with that property is (i) a non-degenerate polar space of rank at least 3, or (ii) a Grassmann space \(A_{n,d}(K)\) (\(K\) a division ring) or, in the case \(n= 2d-1\), a homomorphic image \(A_{n,d}(K)/ \langle\sigma \rangle\), where \(\sigma\) is an automorphism of the Grassmann space \(A_{n,d}(K)\) induced by a polarity of \(\text{PG} (n,K)\) of Witt index equal or less \(d-5\), or (iii) a half-spin geometry \(D_{n,n}(F)\) (\(F\) a field) with \(n\geq 4\). All cases are derived from spherical buildings of rank at least 3 and are determined up to isomorphism by the choice of \(K\), \(F\) and \(\sigma\).