A note on three rank four geometries for \(P\Omega_ 6^ -(3)\) (Q1904258)

This paper focusses on the construction of three examples of flag-transitive geometries (so-called `GABs', Geometries which are Almost Buildings) whose Buekenhout diagrams have the shape of a square. These three examples emerge from the classification of all flag-transitive locally finite classical Tits geometries, and they exist because of the exceptional behaviour of the alternating group \(A_7\). Two of them, \(G'\) and \(G''\), have as a rank three residue the Neumaier \(A_7\)-geometry and are related to the group \(P \Omega^-_6 (3)\). The lack of an elegant construction of both \(G'\) and \(G''\) in the literature has motivated the author to look for one, and that is precisely the content of the paper under review. The third rank four geometry \(G\) with a diagram as a square is also related to \(P\Omega^-_6(3)\), but only has projective planes as rank two residues. The author gives an alternative construction of \(G\), which he then uses to give a direct and fairly geometric construction of \(G'\) and \(G''\).