On \(\mathrm{STD}_6[18,3]\)'s and \(\mathrm{STD}_7[21,3]\)'s admitting a semiregular automorphism group of order 9 (Q2380315)

Summary: We characterize symmetric transversal designs \(\text{STD}_\lambda[k,u]\)'s which have a semiregular automorphism group \(G\) on both points and blocks containing an elation group of order \(u\) using the group ring \(\mathbb Z[G]\). Let \(n_\lambda\) be the number of nonisomorphic \(\text{STD}_\lambda[3\lambda,3]\)'s. It is known that \(n_1=1\), \(n_2=1\), \(n_3=4\), \(n_4=1\), and \(n_5=0\). We classify \(\text{STD}_6[18,3]\)'s and \(\text{STD}_7[21,3]\)'s which have a semiregular noncyclic automorphism group of order 9 on both points and blocks containing an elation of order 3 using this characterization. The former case yields exactly twenty nonisomorphic \(\text{STD}_6[18,3]\)'s and the latter case yields exactly three nonisomorphic \(\text{STD}_7[21,3]\)'s. These yield \(n_6\geq 20\) and \(n_7\geq 5\), because B. Brock and A. Murray constructed two other \(\text{STD}_7[21,3]\)'s in 1991. We used a computer for our research.