Decompositions of difference sets (Q1305061)

This paper characterizes those symmetric designs with a Singer group \(G\) which admit a quasi-regular \(G\)-invariant partition into strongly induced symmetric subdesigns. In terms of the corresponding difference sets, the set associated with the larger design can be decomposed into a difference set describing the small designs and a suitable relative difference set. This result generalizes the decomposition of the classical designs with the complements of hyperplanes in \(\text{PG}(m-1, q)\) as blocks into subdesigns arising from \(\text{PG}(d-1, q)\) whenever \(d\) divides \(m\). The authors discuss the possibilities for obtaining new difference sets in this way and point out a connection to Ionin's constructions for symmetric designs.