Two-dimensional Laguerre planes over convex functions (Q1820428)

The point set of a locally compact topological Laguerre plane of finite positive topological dimension is either a cylinder \(Z={\mathbb{S}}\times {\mathbb{R}}\) or a 4-manifold. The classical (Miquelian) model is given by the plane sections of Z in \({\mathbb{R}}^ 3\). Its automorphism group \(\Gamma\) is a 7-dimensional Lie group. The authors describe two constructions of topological Laguerre planes with point set Z and \(\dim \Gamma \geq 3.\) These comprise most of the known examples. They play a key role in a subsequent classification of two-dimensional Laguerre planes with a fairly large group, in particular of those with \(\dim \Gamma \geq 5.\) In an affine subplane, the circles are straight lines and families of curves satisfying certain convexity conditions and admitting either the group \(\{(x,y)\mapsto (x,sx+e^ ty+v)\}\) (shear type) or \(\{(x,y)\mapsto (x+u,e^ ty+v)\}\) (translation type). All cases with \(\dim \Gamma >3\) (and in particular the ovoidal planes of shear type) are determined explicitly. Non-Miquelian planes of translation type are never ovoidal.