Unique reducibility of multiple blocking sets (Q1945676)

A \(t\)-fold \((n-k)\)-blocking set of \(\mathrm{PG}(n,q)\) is a set of points which meets every \(k\)-dimensional subspace in at least \(t\) points. If the points of the set are not all different, then the set is a multiset of points, and the \(t\)-fold \((n-k)\)-blocking set is called a weighted \(t\)-fold \((n-k)\)-blocking set. A weight function \(w\) of \(\mathrm{PG}(n,q)\) is a mapping from the point set of \(\mathrm{PG}(n,q)\) to the set of non-negative integers. For a point \(P\), the weight \(w(P)\) is the weight of \(P\). There is a natural correspondence between multisets and weight functions of \(\mathrm{PG}(n,q)\). The multiset associated to a weight function \(w\) is a weighted \(t\)-fold \((n-k)\)-blocking set if and only if the total weight of every \(k\)-dimensional subspace is at least \(t\). If \(w\) is a \(t\)-fold \((n-k)\)-blocking set, then a point \(P\) is called a non-essential point of \(w\), if the total weight of every \(k\)-subspace containing \(P\) is at least \(t+1\) and \(w(P)\geq 1\). Then the weight function \(w'\), defined by \(w'(P)=w(P)-1\) and \(w'(Q)=w(Q)\) for \(Q\neq P\), also is a \(t\)-fold \((n-k)\)-blocking set. If \(w\) and \(w'\) are weight functions, with \(w'(P) \leq w(P)\), for all points \(P\) of \(\mathrm{PG}(n,q)\), then we say that \(w'\) is contained in \(w\), and denote this by \(w'\leq w\). A \(t\)-fold \((n-k)\)-blocking set \(w\) is called minimal if \(w'\equiv w\) for all \(t\)-fold \((n-k)\)-blocking sets \(w'\) contained in \(w\). In the recent literature, the reducibility of \(t\)-fold \((n-k)\)-blocking sets to minimal \(t\)-fold \((n-k)\)-blocking sets has been investigated. \textit{T. Szőnyi} proved that a non-weighted 1-fold 1-blocking set of \(\mathrm{PG}(2,q)\), of size smaller than \(2q+1\), contains a unique minimal 1-fold 1-blocking set [Finite Fields Appl. 3, No. 3, 187--202 (1997; Zbl 0912.51004)]. \textit{M. Lavrauw} et al. proved that a non-weighted 1-fold \((n-k)\)-blocking set of \(\mathrm{PG}(n,q)\), with size smaller than \(2q^{n-k}\), contains a unique minimal 1-fold \((n-k)\)-blocking set [Finite Fields Appl. 14, No. 4, 1020--1038 (2008; Zbl 1153.51006)]. This article generalizes these unique reducibility results to their most general form. The author proves that every weighted \(t\)-fold \((n-k)\)-blocking set of \(\mathrm{PG}(n,q)\), with total weight smaller than \((t+1)q^{n-k}+(q^{n-k}-1)/(q-1)\), contains a unique minimal weighted \(t\)-fold \((n-k)\)-blocking set. To prove this result, the author uses the concept of \(t\)-fold nuclei. She also shows the sharpness of the upper bound on the total weight in a number of cases, and she also shows useful consequences of this unique reducibility result. In particular, she proves that if \(B\) is a minimal weighted \(t\)-fold \((n-1)\)-blocking set of \(\mathrm{PG}(n,q)\), and \(P\in B\), then there are at least \((t+1)q^{n-1}+(q^{n-1}-1)/(q-1)-|B|\) different \(t\)-secants through \(P\).