Collineation groups preserving a unital of a projective plane of odd order (Q2640133)

A unital \({\mathcal U}\) embedded in a finite projective plane \(\Pi\) of order \(m^ 2\) is a substructure of \(\Pi\) which forms a \(2-(m^ 3+1,m+1,1)\) design. The aim of the paper is to study collineation groups which preserve unitals embedded in projective planes when m is odd. The main result is Theorem C. Let G be a collineation group of a finite projective plane \(\Pi\) of odd order which preserves a unital \({\mathcal U}\) of \(\Pi\). If G is transitive on the points of \({\mathcal U}\) and the socle S of G has even order then one of the following holds: (j) \(S\simeq PSU(3,q)\), q odd, \(\Pi\) is desarguesian of order \(q^ 2\), and \({\mathcal U}\) is classical. (jj) \(S\simeq PSL(2,7)\), \(\Pi\) is desarguesian of order 9, and \({\mathcal U}\) is classical. (jjj) \(S\simeq A_ 7\), S acts transitively on the points of \({\mathcal U}\), and \(\Pi\) has order 25. Furthermore, \(S\leq G\leq Aut(S).\) The proof makes use of Theorem A about 2-groups of collineations and of Theorem B about non-abelian simple groups of collineations and of Hering's theorem on strongly irreducible groups of collineations [\textit{C. Hering}, Abh. Math. Semin. Univ. Hamb. 49, 155-182 (1979; Zbl 0431.51002)].