Determination of generalized quadrangles with distinct elation points (Q2498438)

A generalized quadrangle of order \((s,t)\) is a point-line incidence structure \(Q\) satisfying the following properties: (1) every two distinct points are incident with at most 1 line; (2) every line is incident with precisely \(s+1\) points and every point is incident with precisely \(t+1\) lines; (3) for every point \(p\) and every line \(L\) not incident with \(p\), there exists a unique point on \(L\) collinear with \(p\). A pair \(\{ K,L \}\) of lines of a generalized quadrangle \(Q\) of order \((s,t)\) is called regular if \(K\) and \(L\) are contained in an \((s+1) \times (s+1)\)-subgrid of \(Q\). Let \(p\) be a point of a generalized quadrangle of order \((s,t)\), \(s \not= 1 \not= t\). An automorphism of \(Q\) is called an elation about \(p\) if it is either the identity or if it fixes every line through \(p\), but no point noncollinear with \(p\). The point \(p\) is called an elation point if there exists a group of elations about \(p\) which acts regularly on the set of points noncollinear with \(p\). In the paper under review the author classifies all finite generalized quadrangles of order \((s,t)\), \(s,t > 1\), which have a line \(L\) of elation points, with the additional property that there is a line \(M\) not meeting \(L\) for which \(\{ L,M \}\) is regular. Such a generalized quadrangle is isomorphic to either \(Q(4,s)\), \(Q(5,s)\) (\(s\) even) or is the translation dual of the point-line dual of a flock generalized quadrangle.