On the twisted cubic of \(\text{PG}(3, q)\) (Q1426830)

Let \(\Sigma\) be a twisted cubic of the finite projective 3-space \(\text{PG}(3,q)\), \(q= p^h\), \(p\) prime, i.e. \[ \Sigma= \{(f_0(t), f_1(t), f_2(t),f_3(t)): t\in \text{GF}(q)\cup\{\infty\}\}, \] where \(f_0\), \(f_1\), \(f_2\), \(f_3\) are linearly independent cubic polynomials over \(\text{GF}(q)\). Furthermore, let \(\mathbb{F}\) be the algebraic closure of \(\text{GF}(q)\) and let \(\overline\Sigma\) be the twisted cubic of \(\text{PG}(3,\mathbb{F})\) determined by \(\Sigma\). A chord of \(\Sigma\) is a line in \(\text{PG}(3,q)\) which contains two points of \(\overline\Sigma\). Each chord is either a real chord or a tangent chord or an imaginary chord. If \(p\neq 3\), the tangents to \(\Sigma\) are self-polar lines of a non-singular symplectic polarity of \(\text{PG}(3,q)\). An axis of \(\Sigma\) is a line \(I\) of \(\text{PG}(3,q)\) if the polar line of \(I\) is a chord. It is called real or imaginary if the polar chord is real or imaginary, respectively. The main result of the paper is: If \(I\) is a line of \(\text{PG}(3,q)\) whose points belong to imaginary chords of \(\Sigma\) then either \(I\) is an imaginary chord or \(q\equiv 1\pmod 3\) and \(I\) is an imaginary axis. In the second part of the paper, this theorem is applied to the generalized hexagon \(H(q)\) which has been introduced by \textit{J. Tits} [Publ. Math., Inst. Hautes Étud. Sci. 2, 13--60 (1959; Zbl 0088.37204)]. The authors obtain a classification result for semiclassical spreads of \(H(q)\) which extends the result of \textit{I. Bloemen}, \textit{J. A. Thas} and \textit{H. Van Maldeghem} [Geom. Dedicata 72, No. 1, 19--62 (1998; Zbl 1035.51002)] to the even characteristic case (Theorem 2).