Construction of \((n, r)\)-arcs in \(PG(2, q)\) (Q2493443)

An \((n,r)\)-arc of a Desarguesian projective plane \(PG(2,q)\) is a set \(\Omega\) consisting of \(n\) points such that any line \(\ell\subseteq\pi\) meets \(\Omega\) in at most \(r\) points and there is at least a line \(\ell'\subseteq PG(2,q)\) meeting \(\Omega\) in exactly \(r\) points. Given the integer \(r\) and fixed \(q\), it is an open problem to determine the maximum value \(m_r(2,q)\) of \(n\) such that an \((n,r)\)-arc exists. Exact values for \(m_r(2,q)\) are known for \(q<11\). In the paper under consideration, a technique based upon Diophantine equations is introduced to construct \((n,r)\)-arcs with prescribed automorphism groups. This technique is then used to obtain some new arcs for \(11\leq q\leq 19\), improving the known lower bounds in these cases. The authors also show how to obtain a double blocking set with \(38\) points in \(PG(2,13)\).