Constructing minimal blocking sets using field reduction

DOI10.1002/JCD.21432MaRDI QIDQ2808797zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Geertrui Van de Voorde

Publication date 24 May 2016

Published in Journal of Combinatorial Designs (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1512.04822, https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/7053582/file/7257076

zbMATH Keywords

blocking setDesarguesian spreadfield reductionlinear setlinearity conjecture

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Combinatorial structures in finite projective spaces (51E20) Blocking sets, ovals, (k)-arcs (51E21)

Abstract: We present a construction for minimal blocking sets with respect to $(k-1)$-spaces in $mathrmPG(n-1,q^t)$, the $(n-1)$-dimensional projective space over the finite field $mathbb{F}_{q^t}$ of order $q^t$. The construction relies on the use of blocking cones in the {em field reduced} representation of $mathrmPG(n-1,q^t)$, extending the well-known construction of linear blocking sets. This construction is inspired by the construction for minimal blocking sets with respect to the hyperplanes by Mazzocca, Polverino and Storme ({em the MPS-construction}); we show that for a suitable choice of the blocking cone over a planar blocking set, we obtain larger blocking sets than the ones obtained from planar blocking sets in cite{pol}. Furthermore we show that every minimal blocking set with respect to the hyperplanes in $mathrmPGPG(n-1,q^t)$ can be obtained by applying field reduction to a minimal blocking set with respect to $(nt-t-1)$-spaces in $mathrmPG(nt-1,q)$. We end by relating these constructions to the linearity conjecture for small minimal blocking sets. We show that if a small minimal blocking set is constructed from the MPS-construction, it is of R'edei-type whereas a small minimal blocking set arises from our cone construction if and only if it is linear.

Review text

A \textit{blocking set} \(B\) with respect to \((k-1)-\)spaces in \(\mathrm{PG}(n-1,q)\) is a set of points such that every \((k-1)\)-dimensional subspace of \(\mathrm{PG}(n-1,q)\) contains at least a point of \(B.\) If no proper subset of \(B\) is a blocking set, then \(B\) is \textit{minimal}.NEWLINENEWLINELet \(\Pi\) be the Barlotti-Cofman representation of \(\mathrm{PG}(n-1,q^t)\) in \(\mathrm{PG}(nt-1,q)\) via a Desarguesian spread \(\mathcal S\) of a hyperplane \(\mathrm{PG}(nt-1,q)\) of \(\mathrm{PG}(nt,q)\) whose points are both points of \(\mathrm{PG}(nt,q)\) not in \(\mathrm{PG}(nt-1,q)\) and the elements of \(\mathcal S.\) Let \(\Omega\) be an \((nt-kt-2)\)-dimensional subspace of \(\mathrm{PG}(nt,q)\) disjoint with a plane \(\Gamma\) of \(\mathrm{PG}(nt,q).\) If \(\bar{B}\) is a blocking set of \(\Gamma,\) let \(K\) be the cone of \(\langle \Omega, \Gamma\rangle\) with vertex \(\Omega\) and base \(\bar{B}.\) Let \(B={\mathcal B}(K)\) be the set of points of \(\Pi\simeq \mathrm{PG}(n-1,q^t)\) defined by \(K,\) i.e. the points of \(B\) are both points of \(K \setminus \mathrm{PG}(nt-1,q)\) and the elements of the \((t-1)-\)spread contained in \(K.\)NEWLINENEWLINEThe author gives two different constructions such that \(B\) is a minimal blocking set of \(\mathrm{PG}(n-1,q^t),\) the first one generalizing the example constructed in [\textit{F. Mazzocca} and \textit{O. Polverino}, J. Algebraic Combin. 24, No. 1, 61--81 (2006; Zbl 1121.51007)]. Finally, she proves that a small blocking set of the first type is linear if and only if \(\bar{B}\) is linear.

Recommendations

• Blocking sets in \(\mathrm{PG}(r,q^n)\)
• On MPS construction of blocking sets in projective spaces: a generalization
• Lower bounds for the cardinality of minimal blocking sets in projective spaces
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 7666857
• The classification of the smallest nontrivial blocking sets in \(PG(n,2)\)
• Small point sets of PG\((2, q)\) intersecting each \(k\)-space in 1 modulo \(\sqrt q\) points
• Minimal blocking sets in projective spaces of square order
• Proper blocking sets in projective spaces
• Small blocking sets in higher dimensions
• 2-blocking sets in PG(4, \(q\)), \(q\) square

Cites work

• Blocking sets and partial spreads in finite projective spaces
• Blocking sets in \(\mathrm{PG}(r,q^n)\)
• Blocking sets in \(\text{PG}(2,q^n)\) from cones of \(\text{PG}(2n,q)\)
• Covering finite fields with cosets of subspaces
• Finite Sperner spaces constructed from projective and affine spaces
• Linear \(k\)-blocking sets
• Linear point sets and Rédei type \(k\)-blocking sets in \(\mathrm{PG}(n,q)\)
• Lower bounds for the cardinality of minimal blocking sets in projective spaces
• Normal spreads
• On large minimal blocking sets in PG(2,q)
• On linear sets on a projective line
• On small blocking sets
• On small blocking sets and their linearity
• On the linearity of higher-dimensional blocking sets
• Proper blocking sets in projective spaces
• Scattered spaces with respect to a spread in \(\text{PG}(n,q)\)
• Small blocking sets in higher dimensions
• Teoria di Galois, fibrazioni proiettive e geometrie non desarguesiane
• The blocking number of an affine space

Cited in

(5)

• Blocker size via matching minors
• Minimum blocking configurations
• Codes from the incidence matrices of graphs on 3-sets
• Field reduction and linear sets in finite geometry
• On the construction and enumeration of minimal blocks

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Uses Software

• FinInG

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