Locally singular hyperplanes in thick dual polar spaces of rank 4. (Q2490861)

Let \(\Pi\) be a thick polar space of rank \(n\geq 2\) and \(\Delta\) the corresponding dual polar space. An element of \(\Delta\) of type \(i\) will be called an \(i\)-element and it corresponds with \((n-1-i)\)-subspace of \(\Pi\). A hyperplane of \(\Delta\) is proper subspace \(H\) of \(\Delta\) with the property that every \(1\)-element of \(\Delta\) is contained in \(H\) or intersects \(H\) in unique point. Let \(p\) be a point of \(\Delta\). \(H_p\) denotes the hyperplane of points of \(\Delta\) at nonmaximal distance from \(p\). A hyperplane \(H_p\) is called singular hyperplane. If for any \(i\)-element \(A\) of \(\Delta\), either \(A\subseteq H\) or \(A\cap H\) is a singular hyperplane of \(A\), then we say that \(H\) is \(i\)-locally singular. A hyperplane is called locally singular if it is \(2\)-locally singular. For a thick polar space \(\Pi_n= Q(2n,\mathbb{K})\), where \(\mathbb{K}\) is field, the dual local space is denoted \(DQ(2n,\mathbb{K})\). The points and lines of \(DQ(6,\mathbb{K})\) which are contained in each of these hyperplanes define a split Cayley hexagon \(H(\mathbb{K})\). These hyperplanes are called hyperplanes of hexagonal type. The authors show that if \(\Delta\) is no \(DQ(2n,\mathbb{K})\) then every locally singular hyperplane of \(\Delta\) is singular. They describe a new type of hyperplane in \(DQ(8,\mathbb{K})\) and show that every locally singular hyperplane of \(DQ(8,\mathbb{K})\) is singular, the extension of a hexagonal hyperplane, or of the new type mentioned above.