Isometric full embeddings of \(DW(2n - 1,q)\) into \(DH(2n - 1,q^{2}\)) (Q2469481)

Let \(\Delta_1\) and \(\Delta_2\) be two thick dual polar spaces with respective point sets \(P_1\) and \(P_2\) and respective distance functions \(d_1(\cdot,\cdot)\) and \(d_2(\cdot,\cdot)\). An isometric full embedding of \(\Delta_1\) into \(\Delta_2\) is a map \(\Theta: P_1\to P_2\) which satisfies the following properties: \(\bullet\) for all points \(x\) and \(y\) of \(P_1\), \(d_2(\Theta(x), \Theta(y))= d_1(x, y)\); \(\bullet\) if \(L\) is a line of \(\Delta_1\), then \(\{\Theta L=\Theta(x)\mid x\in L\}\) is a line of \(\Delta_2\). For two non-isomorphic thick dual spaces \(\Delta_1\) and \(\Delta_2\) of the same rank \(n\geq 3\) and with the same cardinality \(q+ 1\) for the lines is shown: If \(\Delta_1\) is isometrially embedded in \(\Delta_2\), i.e. \(\Delta_1\) is a subspace of \(\Delta_2\), then \(\Delta_1\cong DW(2n- 1,q)\) and \(\Delta_2\cong DH(2n- 1,q^2)\). The author shows that there is up to isomorphism a unique isometric full embedding of the dual polar space \(DW(2n-1, q)\) into the dual polar space \(DH(2n-1, q^2)\). It is shown that for every point \(x\) of \(DH(2n-1, q^2)\) at distance \(\delta\) from \(DW(2n-1, q)\) the set of points of \(DW(2n-1, q)\) at distance \(\delta\) from \(x\) is a so-called SDPS-set which carries the structure of a dual polar space \(DW(2\delta-1, q^2)\) and if \(n\) is even then the set of points at distance at most \({n\over 2}-1\) from \(DW(2n-1, q)\) is a geometric hyperplane of \(DH(2n-1, q^2)\).