Blocking and double blocking sets in finite planes (Q281585)

Summary: In this paper, by using properties of Baer subplanes, we describe the construction of a minimal blocking set in the Hall plane of order \(q^2\) of size \(q^2+2q+2\) admitting \(1-\), \(2-\), \(3-\), \(4-\), \((q+1)-\) and \((q+2)-\)secants. As a corollary, we obtain the existence of a minimal blocking set of a non-Desarguesian affine plane of order \(q^2\) of size at most \(4q^2/3+5q/3\), which is considerably smaller than \(2q^2-1\), the Jamison bound for the size of a minimal blocking set in an affine Desarguesian plane of order \(q^2\).{ }We also consider particular André planes of order \(q\), where \(q\) is a power of the prime \(p\), and give a construction of a small minimal blocking set which admits a secant line not meeting the blocking set in \(1 \mod p\) points. Furthermore, we elaborate on the connection of this problem with the study of value sets of certain polynomials and with the construction of small double blocking sets in Desarguesian projective planes; in both topics we provide some new results.