\(m\)-systems of polar spaces and SPG reguli (Q1420729)

This paper reports on a small result of the author obtained in her fantastic PhD thesis. In [J. Comb. Theory, Ser. A 68, 184--204 (1994; Zbl 0824.51004)], \textit{E. E. Shult} and \textit{J. A. Thas} have defined \(m\)-systems as a common generalization of ovoids and spreads of finite polar spaces. Numerous applications of these objects have been given in the meantime. Also, in [J. Comb. Theory, Ser. A 35, 58--66 (1983; Zbl 0517.51015)], \textit{J. A. Thas} introduced SPG reguli and showed that these objects give rise to semipartial geometries. In the paper under review, the author shows that all \(m\)-systems of polar spaces of symplectic or elliptic type in \(\text{PG}(2n+ 1, q)\), and of unitary type in \(\text{PG}(2n, q^2)\), are SPG reguli. This yields another major application of \(m\)-systems. This link also gives birth to new semipartial geometries: some related to new \(m\)-systems of symplectic polar spaces over the field of two elements found, using a computer, by \textit{R. Mathon} and \textit{N. Hamilton} [Eur. J. Comb. 22, 51--61 (2001; Zbl 0973.51004)], and a class related to the new spreads of the Cayley split generalized hexagons over fields containing the field of four elements as discovered by \textit{A. Offer} [Adv. Geom. 3, 105--121 (2003; Zbl 1044.51008)] (these spreads define 1-systems in a symplectic polar space of rank three).