Blocking sets in \(\text{PG}(2,q^n)\) from cones of \(\text{PG}(2n,q)\) (Q2498442)

Let \(\Omega\) and \(B^*\) be a subset of \(\Sigma=\text{PG}(2n- 1,q)\) and a subset of \(\text{PG}(2n, q)\) respectively, with \(\Sigma\subset\text{PG}(2n, q)\) and \(B^*\not\subset\Sigma\). Denote by \(K\) the cone of vertex \(\Omega\) and base \(B^*\) and consider the point set \(B\) defined by \[ B= (K\setminus\Sigma)\cup \{X\in S: S\cap K\neq\Phi\}, \] in the André, Bruck-Bose representation of \(\text{PG}(2, q^n)\) in \(\text{PG}(2n, q)\) associated to a regular spread \(S\) of \(\text{PG}(2n- 1, q)\). The authors are interested in finding conditions on \(B^*\) and \(\Omega\) in order to force the set \(B\) to be a minimal blocking set in \(\text{PG}(2, q^n)\). With this in mind, they deal with the problem in the case \(\Omega\) is a subspace of \(\text{PG}(2n- 1, q)\) and \(B^*\) a blocking set in a subspace of \(\text{PG}(2n, q)\). They give, in this way, new classes and new sizes of minimal blocking sets in \(\text{PG}(2, q^n)\). For example, for \(q= 3^h\), they obtain large blocking sets of size \(q^{n+2}+ 1\) \((n\geq 5)\) and of size greater than \(q^{n+ 2}+ q^{n-6}\) \((n\geq 6)\). As an application, a characterization of Buekenhout-Metz unitals in \(\text{PG}(2, q^{2k})\) is also given.