Characterization of seminuclear sets in a finite projective plane (Q2276754)

A set of \(q+2\) points in the desarguesian projective plane PG(2,q) with the property that each point lies on a unique tangent is called a seminuclear set. In the paper under review it is shown that seminuclear sets exist only for \(q=4\) and \(q=7\). In fact, a stronger result is proven. Namely, let C be a set of \(q+a\) points in PG(2,q) with the property that each point lies on a unique tangent and a unique \((a+1)\)- secant, for some \(a>1\). Then either \(q=a+2\) and C consists of the symmetric difference of two lines with one further point removed from each line, or \(q=2a+3\) and C is projectively equivalent to the set of points \(\{\) (0,1,s),(s,0,1),(1,s,0): -s is not a square in GF(q)\(\}\). The proof depends upon a lovely application of Ceva's Theorem.