On linear representations of \((\alpha,\beta)\)-geometries (Q1315377)

A partial linear space \(S\) is a point-line incidence structure in which every two points are incident with at most one line (and every line has at least two points). \(S\) is called connected if its point graph (two points are adjacent if and only if they are distinct and collinear) is connected. An \((\alpha,\beta)\)-geometry of order \((s,t)\) is a connected partial linear space \(S\) satisfying the following axioms: i) each line is incident with \(s+1\) points \((s\geq 1)\). ii) each point is incident with \(t+1\) lines \((t\geq 1)\), and iii) for every anti-flag \((x,L)\) of \(S\), there are either \(\alpha\) or \(\beta\) lines of \(S\) through \(x\) that meet \(L\). If \(\alpha=\beta\), \(S\) is called a partial geometry with parameters \((s,t,\alpha)\). Partial geometries with \(\alpha=1\) are called generalized quadrangles. A partial quadrangle is a \((0,1)\)-geometry for which the associated point graph is strongly regular. An \((\alpha,\beta)\)-geometry \(S=(P,B,I)\) is said to be embedded in a projective or affine space if \(B\) is a subset of the set of lines of the space and if \(P\) is the set of all points of the space lying on these lines. A linear representation of an \((\alpha,\beta)\)-geometry of order \((s,t)\) is an embedding of \(S=(P,B,I)\) in \(AG(n+1,s+1)\) such that \(B\) is a union of parallel classes of lines in \(AG(n+1,s+1)\). With a linear representation the lines of \(S\) define in the hyperplane at infinity \(\Pi_ \infty\) a set of points \(K\) of size \(t+1\) such that every line of \(\Pi_ \infty\) meets \(K\) in either \(0\), \(\alpha+1\), or \(\beta+1\) points. We let \(T^*_ n(K)\) denote a linear representation of an \((\alpha,\beta)\)-geometry of order \((s,t)\) in \(\text{AG}(n+1,s+1)\). Typically we choose \(n\) to be as small as possible. If \(S\) is a generalized quadrangle of order \((s,t)\) and if \(p\) is any point of \(S\), then the induced incidence structure \(S_ p\) obtained by deleting the points collinear with \(p\) and deleting the lines through \(p\) is easily seen to be a \((0,1)\)-geometry of order \((s-1,t)\). Moreover, \(S_ p\) satisfies the following condition: (*) If \(L\) and \(M\) are two disjoint lines of \(S_ p\), then there are either \(0\), \(s-1\), or \(s\) lines of \(S_ p\) meeting both \(L\) and \(M\). From well known combinatorial properties of generalized quadrangles, one deduces that the only partial quadrangles of type \(S_ p\) have parameters \((s-1,s^ 2,s(s-1))\), where \(\mu=s(s-1)\) is the number of common neighbors to two nonadjacent vertices in the associated strongly regular graph. It follows from a theorem of \textit{R. Calderbank} [J. Lond. Math. Soc., II. Ser. 26, 365--384 (1982; Zbl 0545.94014)] that the linear representation of a partial quadrangle with parameters \((q-1,q^ 2,q(q- 1))\) should be in \(\text{AG}(4,q)\), and hence that it should be \(T^*_ 3({\mathfrak O})\) for some ovoid \({\mathfrak O}\) in \(\Pi_ \infty\). It is shown in the paper under review that if \(T^*_ n(K)\), \(n\geq 3\), is a linear representation of a \((0,1)\)-geometry of order \((q-1,t)\), \(q>2\), that satisfies \((*)\) and if \(K\) spans the hyperplane \(\Pi_ \infty\), then \(T^*_ n(K)=T^*_ 3({\mathfrak O})\) for some ovoid \({\mathfrak O}\). An immediate corollary is that none of the sporadic partial quadrangles which have a linear representation satisfy \((*)\). Another consequence is that if \(S\) is a generalized quadrangle and \(p\) is a point of \(S\) such that \(S_ p\) has a linear representation, then \(S\) is isomorphic to the generalized quadrangle \(T_ 3({\mathfrak O})\) found by \textit{J. Tits} [Inst. Haut. Etud. Sci., Publ. Math. 2, 14--60 (1959; Zbl 0088.37204)].