Oriented Steiner loops. (Q1943347)

It is known that from a Steiner triple system (briefly STS) \((\mathfrak S,T)\) it is possible derive a quasigroup and hence a loop by adjoining the identity element \(e\) in a suitable way. Such a loop \((S,\cdot)\) is commutative and fulfils the following conditions: for all \(x,y\in S\), (a) \(x^2=e\) and (b) \(x(xy)=y\). Conversely, to a `Steiner loop' \((S,\cdot)\) (i.e. a commutative loop with identity \(e\) satisfying (a) and (b)) there corresponds the STS \((\mathfrak S,T)\) with point-set \(\mathfrak S= S\setminus\{e\}\) and block-set \(T=\{\{x,y,xy\}\mid x,y\in\mathfrak S\), \(x\neq y\}\). A STS is called `oriented' if a cyclic order is assigned in each block. If \((S,\cdot)\) is a Steiner loop and \(A\) is the cyclic group of order 2, a suitable operation ``\(\circ\)'' can be introduced in \(L:=S\times A\) in such a way that \((L,\circ)\) is again a loop. The operation ``\(\circ\)'' is constructed by means of a suitable function \(f\colon S\times S\to A\) called `factor system' of \(L\). This procedure is called Steiner loop extension. The authors study some relevant properties of \((L,\circ)\) in Section 3, but the most part of the note is devoted to investigate the so-called `oriented Steiner loop extensions', that is extensions of a Steiner loop \(S\) in which the corresponding STS \((\mathfrak S,T)\) is oriented and the factor system of \(L\) is strictly related to the orientation of \((\mathfrak S,T)\). Many properties of this particular extension are proven, the groups generated by left and right translations are studied together with automorphism and isomorphism groups. Special attention is given to the case where the oriented STS \((\mathfrak S,T)\) associated to \(S\) is a projective space over \(\text{GF}(2)\) or an affine space over \(\text{GF}(3)\) and the final section presents a classification of non-rigid Steiner loops corresponding to the minimal affine or projective plane.