No label defined (Q4358784)

This very technical and computational paper has a very interesting conclusion. The authors construct (with the computer though) new \(q\)-clans \((q\) even), and hence new finite generalized quadrangles. The way they conduct their search is by hypothesizing a cyclic group (of order \(q+1)\) of automorphisms. With some additional conditions on the shape of such a group (this involves some number denoted \(p)\), the authors manage to reconstruct a given cyclic \(q\)-clan from one starting matrix \(M_\delta\). Basically, one now forgets about the \(q\)-clan and applies the construction to a chosen matrix \(M_\delta\) and a number \(p\). For small values of \(q\) \((q=64\), 156, 1024), the computer search indicates that \(p=(q-1)/3\) is apparently very interesting. And indeed, the authors find new \(q\)-clans with \(p=(q-1)/3\) for all \(q= 2^{2e}\) with \(3\leq e\leq 8\). Evidently, the authors conjecture that these examples are members of an infinite class. For the entire collection see [Zbl 0869.00028].