Generalized polygons
Research exposition (monographs, survey articles) pertaining to geometry (51-02) Configuration theorems in linear incidence geometry (51A20) Polar geometry, symplectic spaces, orthogonal spaces (51A50) Generalized quadrangles and generalized polygons in finite geometry (51E12) Buildings and the geometry of diagrams (51E24) Topological nonlinear incidence structures (51H15)
Generalized polygons are my favorite mathematical objects and this will be my favorite book on generalized polygons. Why? On the one side, generalized polygons are relatively young. They were introduced by J. Tits in 1959 to illustrate certain simple groups and may also be viewed as Tits buildings of rank 2. On the other side generalized triangles are projective planes and thus have been around for some time. Generalized quadrangles are rank 2 polar spaces and are no complete strangers. Unlike Tits buildings in general, generalized quadrangles may be viewed as point-line incidence geometries. Using this point of view, a generalized \(n\)-gon is an incidence geometry of points and lines such that: 1. Any two elements of the point set and line set are contained in a common ordinary \(n\)-gon. 2. There are no ordinary \(k\)-gons for \(k < n\). 3. There is an ordinary \((n+1)\)-gon. This makes it clear that generalized polygons are geometric structures in their own right. The results presented in the book proof that it is a fascinating class of geometries worth studying. Free constructions provide generalized \(n\)-gons for all \(n\in\mathbb N\). However, finite generalized \(n\)-gons, Moufang \(n\)-gons and topological generalized \(n\)-gons exist only for \(n \in \{2,3,4,6,8\}\). Generalized \(2\)-gons are not very interesting, generalized \(3\)-gons are projective planes and generalized \(8\)-gons are `freaks' connected to characteristic 2 or even order. Consequently, there are no topological octagons. The book under review serves at least two purposes. It is a complete introduction to generalized polygons and it is a reliable and extensive source for references on generalized polygons. `Complete introduction' means that the theory is developed from scratch, although some familiarity with incidence geometry and basic group theory is assumed. All basic properties are given with proofs and the classical examples are discussed in detail. The classical examples are also employed to demonstrate the different ways to view generalized polygons and the translations between these different views. The introduction to generalized polygons constitutes roughly the first half of the book. The remaining half is devoted to more advanced topics. Here the book is strikingly up to date. For example the now complete classification of Moufang polygons is discussed (but no proofs are given). An only recently discovered Moufang polygon is treated for example in the context of ovoids in generalized quadrangles. More specific, the second part of the book deals with the Moufang condition, characterizations of certain generalized polygons by, for example, regularity. One chapter is devoted to ovoids, spreads and self-dual polygons. Projectivities in generalized polygons are considered as well as embeddings of generalized polygons in projective spaces. Finally, an overview on topological generalized polygons is provided. In this book, generalized polygons are mainly treated as point-line geometries. However, algebraic aspects are not neglected and one of the highlights of the book are geometric proofs of algebraic results. Generalized triangles, that is, projective planes and generalized quadrangles have been treated at length elsewhere. Therefore, machinery specially developed for projective planes or generalized quadrangles is not considered in the book. So the focus is on generalized polygons as a whole, on generalized hexagons and on generalized octagons. The author is a leading expert on generalized polygons with good connections to other experts in the same field. Therefore, besides original, elegant, geometric proofs by the author the book features also previously unpublished results by other authors. As a real jewel, material on Moufang polygons presented by Jacques Tits in lectures and seminars at the Collège de France is worked into the book. The author introduces a consistent and intelligent notation which hopefully will be widely adopted. At last, let me insist that you should read this book. If you believe that incidence geometry is out of date, this book will prove you wrong. If you are interested in geometry and want to get introduced to fascinating recent concepts, this book will be a good starting point and a trustworthy companion for most of your way. If you are already doing research in incidence geometry, this book will bring you up to date on generalized polygons and provide a very convincing notation. In addition, its bibliography and its almost complete collection of results on generalized polygons will make it an indispensable tool. If you are eager to do some research, the author offers ten open problems.
- Regular partitions of (weak) finite generalized polygons
- On the geometry of the exceptional group G₂(q), q even
- Generalized hexagons and Singer geometries
- The uniqueness of a generalized hexagon of order 3 containing a subhexagon of order (1,3)
- Constructions of bi-regular cages
- On the intersection of distance-\(j\)-ovoids and subpolygons of generalized polygons
- How to draw a hexagon
- Cycles in de Sitter's world
- Connectedness of opposite-flag geometries in Moufang polygons
- The non-existence of certain regular generalized polygons
- A characterization of \(Q(5,q)\) using one subquadrangle \(Q(4,q)\)
- Two conjectures regarding dense near polygons with three points on each line
- Forgetful polygons as generalizations of semi-affine planes.
- Split BN-pairs of rank 2: the octagons.
- On the twisted cubic of \(\text{PG}(3, q)\)
- Some combinatorial and geometric characterizations of the finite dual classical generalized hexagons
- Some new upper bounds for the size of partial ovoids in slim generalized polygons and generalized hexagons of order \((s,s^3)\)
- Symmetric designs form the \(G_2(q)\) generalized hexagons
- On the order of a generalized hexagon admitting an ovoid or spread
- A translation generalized quadrangle in characteristic \(\neq 0\) is linear
- Central aspects of skew translation quadrangles. I.
- Asymptotically approaching the Moore bound for diameter three by Cayley graphs
- Split buildings of type \(\mathsf {F}_4\) in buildings of type \(\mathsf {E}_6\)
- Hamiltonian property of the incidence graphs of quadrangles associated with symplectic forms on finite fields
- Sharp homogeneity in affine planes, and in some affine generalized polygons
- Groups of Lie type generated by long root elements in \(F_4(K)\).
- Groups with a central factor of Lie type
- Split BN-pairs of finite Morley rank
- On a particular class of minihypers and its applications. III: Applications
- A geometric construction of partial geometries with a Hermitian point graph
- Moufang polygons and irreducible spherical BN-pairs of rank 2. I
- A model for the dual of the generalised hexagon \(H\)(\(q\)), \(q\) odd.
- Embeddings of polar spaces.
- Half-Moufang generalized hexagons.
- The Curtis-Tits-presentation.
- Algebraic polygons
- Domesticity in generalized quadrangles
- The endomorphism type of certain bipartite graphs and a characterization of projective planes
- Tadpole labelled oriented graph groups and cyclically presented groups.
- Lax embeddings of the Hermitian unital
- Vertex opposition in spherical buildings
- Classification of embeddings of the flag geometries of projective planes in finite projective spaces. I, II, III
- Two remarks on generalized hexagons
- Some remarks on embeddings of the flag geometries of projective planes in finite projective spaces
- Bipartite biregular Moore graphs
- Covers of generalized quadrangles. II: Kantor-Knuth covers and embedded ovoids
- A generalization of the Haemers-Mathon bound for near hexagons
- Finite subunitals of the Hermitian unitals
- A note on multicolor Ramsey number of small odd cycles versus a large clique
- Veldkamp quadrangles and polar spaces
- Epimorphisms of generalized polygons A: the planes, quadrangles and hexagons
- On some distance-regular graphs with many vertices
- Characterizations of the G₂(4) and L₃(4) near octagons
- Analog of a ternary ring for generalized polygons
- On k-connected-homogeneous graphs
- Characterising vertex-star transitive and edge-star transitive graphs
- A construction of small \((q-1)\)-regular graphs of girth 8
- A geometric approach to alternating \(k\)-linear forms
- Stable pseudofinite groups
- The simple exceptional group G₂(q), q even, and two-character sets
- Linearly small elation quadrangles
- On the nonexistence of certain Hughes generalized quadrangles
- New bounds for partial spreads of \(\mathsf{H}(2d-1,q^2)\) and partial ovoids of the Ree-Tits octagon
- Probabilistic constructions in generalized quadrangles
- Geometries arising from trilinear forms on low-dimensional vector spaces
- On the order of \((\{r,m\};g)\)-cages of even girth
- Bounded distance preserving surjections in the projective geometry of matrices
- Theorems of Erdős-Ko-Rado type in polar spaces
- On monomial graphs of girth eight
- Minimal underlying division rings of sets of points of a projective space
- The twisted cubic in \(PG(3,q)\) and translation spreads in \(H\)(\(q\))
- Compatible spreads of symmetry in near polygons
- Moufang sets from groups of mixed type
- Distance-\(j\)-ovoids in regular near \(2 d\)-gons
- Open problems in finite projective spaces
- The uniqueness of a certain generalized octagon of order \((2, 4)\)
- Small regular graphs of girth 7
- Generalised polygons admitting a point-primitive almost simple group of Suzuki or Ree type
- A weak Moufang condition suffices
- Valuations and hyperplanes of dual polar spaces
- Trace-minimal graphs and D-optimal weighing designs
- Ovoids and spreads of the generalized hexagon \(\mathbf H(3)\)
- Some two-character sets
- Codes with girth 8 Tanner graph representation
- Moufang lines defined by (generalized) Suzuki groups
- Common point reguli of different generalized hexagons on \(Q(6,q)\)
- Extremal generalized hexagons and triple intersection numbers
- No sporadic almost simple group acts primitively on the points of a generalised quadrangle
- Generalized polygons and star graphs of cyclic presentations of groups
- A remark on a theorem of J. Tits
- On irreducible (B,N)-pairs of rank 2
- On the uniqueness of some girth eight algebraically defined graphs
- The use of valuations for classifying point-line geometries
- Embeddings of line-Grassmannians of polar spaces in Grassmann varieties
- Characterizations of trialities of type \(\mathrm{I}_{\mathsf{id}}\) in buildings of type \(\mathsf{D}_4\)
- Unitals admitting all translations
- The norm of a Ree group.
- COVERS OF GENERALIZED QUADRANGLES
- Descent of affine buildings - I. Large minimal angles
- On semi-finite hexagons of order (2,t) containing a subhexagon
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