On affine planes with 3-regular group of projectivities (Q1071257)

Consider a geometrical plane \(\pi\) (e.g., an affine plane, a Benz plane, or a projective plane), and let G be the group of projectivities mapping a line of \(\pi\) onto itself. Then G is t-fold transitive on the line, where \(t=2\) for affine planes and \(t=3\) in the other two cases. For \(n\geq t\), let \((P_ n)\) be the regularity condition that each projectivity of G fixing n distinct points is the identity. It has been shown that \((P_ 3)\) characterizes Pappian projective planes [see \textit{G. Hessenberg}, Math. Ann. 61, 161-172 (1905), although originally due to G. K. von Staudt] and Miquelian Benz planes [see \textit{H. Freudenthal} and \textit{K. Strombach}, Math. Z. 143, 213-234 (1975; Zbl 0313.50017) and \textit{H.-J. Kroll}, Geom. Dedicata 6, 407-413 (1977; Zbl 0375.50021)], while \((P_ 2)\) characterizes desarguesian affine planes [see \textit{H. Lüneburg}, Geometry - von Staudt's point of view, Proc. NATO Adv. Study Inst., Bad Windsheim/Ger. 1980, 231-248 (1981; Zbl 0466.51006)]. In this article the author considers affine planes satisfying a regularity condition \((P_ f)\), where \(f>t\). \textit{A. Barlotti}, \textit{E. Schreiber}, and \textit{K. Strombach} [Rend. Semin. Mat. Univ. Padova 60, 183-200 (1978; Zbl 0433.51003)] showed that free affine planes satisfy \((P_ 4)\) but not \((P_ 3)\). The author shows that an affine plane satisfying \((P_ 3)\) must be a translation plane; moreover, if the plane has kernel \(K\neq GF(2)\) then it must be desarguesian (i.e., in this case \((P_ 3)\) implies \((P_ 2))\). The proof of this result is in the classic mode of configuration theorems. The author also shows that if \(K=GF(2)\) and the plane is nondesarguesian, then the plane must be infinite; there is no known example of such a plane.