Affine circle geometry over quaternion skew fields (Q1377802)

The author continues his work from [Abh. Math. Semin. Univ. Hamburg 64, 279-292 (1994; Zbl 0816.51006), Geom. Dedicata 49, No. 2, 239-251 (1994; Zbl 0796.51005), Aequationes Math. 45, No. 2-3, 232-238 (1993; Zbl 0787.51006)]. Let \(L\) be a quaternion skew field and \(K\) a maximal commutative subfield of \(L\), and \(\Sigma(K,L)\) the corresponding chain geometry. As point set of this geometry the author takes rather a spread of the 3-dimensional projective space \({\mathcal P}_K\) over \(K\) than the projective line over \(L\). Taking this point of view the author describes how, by deleting one point \(\infty\) (= spread line of a previously chosen projective subplane \(\widetilde {\mathcal A})\), an affine plane \({\mathcal A}\) arises whose line structure is induced by the chains. A chain \({\mathcal C}\) of \(\Sigma (K,L)\) containing \(\infty\) induces either a line or a degenerated circle of this affine plane according to whether or not \({\mathcal C}\) has a transversal line in \(\widetilde {\mathcal A}\). If \(\infty \notin {\mathcal C}\), a non-degenerate circle arises. Degenerate circles turn out to be affine Baer subplanes of \({\mathcal A}\) coordinatized by the center of \(L\). Non-degenerate circles are intersections of affine Hermitian varieties of \(K\) is a Galois extension of the center of \(L\).