Cyclic Steiner triple systems with cyclic subsystems (Q2277460)

A cyclic Steiner triple system of order v, denoted by CTS(v), is a Steiner triple system with a regular cyclic automorphism group. A CTS(v) exists if and only if \(v\equiv 1\) or 3 (mod 6), \(v\neq 9\). Let \(v=nu\), \(n>1\), \(u>1\). The article under consideration answers the question as to what are the necessary and sufficient conditions for a CTS(v) to contain a cyclic subsystem of order u and index n, i.e. a subgroup of order u and index n that fixes a subset of the block set. It is proved that a CTS(nu) with a cyclic subsystem of order u and index n exists if and only if one of the following holds: (1) \(u\equiv 1\) or 3 (mod 6), \(u\neq 9\) and \(n\equiv 1\) (mod 6); (2) \(u\equiv 1\) (mod 6) and \(n\equiv 3\) (mod 6), \(n\neq 9\); (3) \(u\equiv 3\) (mod 6), \(u\neq 9\) and \(n\equiv 3\) or 5 (mod 6), \(n\neq 3\); (4) \(u\equiv 1\) (mod 6), \(u\geq 7\) and \(n=9\). It is also shown that there cannot exist a CTS(3u) having a cyclic subsystem of order \(u\equiv 3\) (mod 6) and index 3.