Symplectic polarities of buildings of type \(\mathsf{E}_6\) (Q438895)

Let \(\Delta\) be a building. A domestic automorphism of \(\Delta\) is an automorphism which sends no chamber to an opposite one. In the paper under review, the author investigates, in the case when \(\Delta\) is of type \(\mathsf{E}_6\), which dualities of \(\Delta\) are domestic. The main result is that these dualities appear as ``symplectic polarities''. These are involutions of the building whose fixed points is a building of type \(\mathsf{F}_4\), with residues which are symplectic polar spaces. One motivation to study these automorphisms is Phan-Curtis-Tits theory [\textit{R. Gramlich}, Innov. Incidence Geom. 9, 123--175 (2009; Zbl 1236.20035)]. Indeed, Phan geometries are defined as the set of chambers sent on an opposite chamber by an involution. A reformulation of the main result is that the involutions of a building of type \(\mathsf{E}_6\) for which there is no such geometry are precisely symplectic polarities.