A characterization of the semipartial geometries \(T_2^*(\mathcal U)\) and \(T_2^* (\mathcal B)\) (Q1422396)

A semipartial geometry with parameters \(s\), \(t\), \(\alpha\) and \(\mu\), denoted by \(\text{spg}(s,t,\alpha,\mu)\), is a partial linear space \(\mathbb{S}\) of order \((s,t)\) satisfying the following axioms. (i) If a point \(x\) and a line \(L\) are not incident, then there are either \(0\) or \(\alpha\) \((\alpha> 0)\) points which are collinear with \(x\) and incident with \(L\). (ii) If two points are not collinear, then there are \(\mu\) \((\mu> 0)\) points collinear with both. A set of three pairwise non-collinear points of a semipartial geometry is called a trial of points. The set of lines intersecting \(L\) is denoted \(L^\perp\). Any line \(K\in L^\perp\cap M^\perp\) which is not incident with the possible intersecting point of \(L\) and \(M\) is called transversal of \(L\) and \(M\). Two lines \(L\) and \(L'\) of \(\mathbb{S}\) are called parallel if either \(L= L'\), or \(L\) and \(L'\) are two different non-intersecting lines and either there is no point of \(L\) collinear with a point of \(L'\) or there exist two transversal lines \(B\) and \(B'\) intersecting in a point \(x\not\in L\cup L'\). Let \(L\), \(M\) be different lines; \(L\cap M= \{x\}\) or \(L\parallel M\). For any point \(p,p\not\in L\cup M\), the integer \(\beta(p)\) with respect to \(L\) and \(M\) is defined as \(|\{K\mid p\in K,\,K\in L^\perp\cap M^\perp\}|\). Any semipartial geometry with \(\alpha> 1\) is called a net-inducible semipartial geometry if the following axiom is satisfied. (A) Let \(L\) and \(M\) be any two distinct intersecting or parallel lines of \(\mathbb{S}\). For any point \(p\) on a tranversal of \(L\) and \(M\), \(p\not\in L\cup M\), it holds that \(\beta(p)= \alpha-| L\cap M|\) with respect to \(L\) and \(M\). A net-inducible \(\text{spg}(s,t,\alpha,\mu)\) is maximal if \(\mu= {t^2-\alpha t-\alpha(\alpha+ 1)(t- s- 1)\over s+1-\alpha}\) and \(\mu={t(t-\alpha)\over s+1}\). The main result of the present article is: Let \(\mathbb{S}\) be a proper maximal net-inducible semipartial geometry \(\text{spg}(s,t,\alpha,\mu)\) such that each triad of points is contained in \(0\), \(1\) or \(\mu/\alpha(\alpha+ 1)\) nets. Then either \(\mathbb{S}\cong T^*_2({\mathcal U})\) or \(\mathbb{S}\cong T^*_2({\mathcal B})\). Semipartial geometries \(T^*_2({\mathcal U})\) and \(T^*_2({\mathcal B})\) are embedded in \(\text{AG}(3,q)\) as linear representations of unital \({\mathcal U}\) or a Baer subplane \({\mathcal B}\) of the plane \(\pi\) at infinity.