A characterization of the family of secant lines to a hyperbolic quadric in \(\mathrm{PG} ( 3 , q )\), \(q\) odd (Q2198386)

In this paper, the authors characterise the set of secant lines to a hyperbolic quadric: they start from a family \(\mathcal{S}\) of lines in \(\mathrm{PG}(3,q))\), \(q\geq 7\) and assume that certain intersection properties with points and planes are the same as for the family of secant lines to a hyperbolic quadric. More specifically, the assumption is that the set \(\mathcal{S}\) satisfies: (P1) The number of lines of \(\mathcal{S}\) through a point of \(\mathrm{PG}(3,q)\) is either \(\frac{q(q+1)}{2}\) or \(q^2\) and both possibilities occur. (P2) Every plane \(\pi\) contains at least one line of \(\mathcal{S}\) and either every pencil of lines in \(\pi\) contains \(0\) or \(q\) lines of \(\mathcal{S}\), or every pencil of lines in \(\pi\) contains \(\frac{q-1}{2},\) \(\frac{q+1}{2}\) or \(q\) lines of \(\mathcal{S}\). The authors prove that either \(\mathcal{S}\) is the set of secant lines with respect to a hyperbolic quadric \(\mathcal{Q}^+(3,q)\), or \(\mathcal{S}\) is a hypothetical family of \(\frac{q^4+q^3+2q^2}{2}\) lines. In the latter case, the set of points lying on exactly \(q^2\) lines forms a line of \(\mathrm{PG}(3,q)\). The proofs are combinatorial in nature, and use a result of \textit{F. De Clerck} and \textit{N. De Feyter} [Eur. J. Comb. 28, No. 7, 1910--1921 (2007; Zbl 1126.51010)] in which the point set of a conic and its interior points in \(\mathrm{PG}(2,q)\), \(q\geq 7\), is characterised by the intersection numbers with respect to lines.