Partial flocks of the quadratic cone yielding Mathon maximal arcs (Q442338)

An \([n,d]\) arc in a projective plane of order \(q\) is a set of \(k\) points such that some line meets the arc in \(d\) points but no line meets the arc in more than \(d\) points. The arc is said to be maximal if \(k= q(d-1)+d\). It has been shown that if \(C\) is a set of closed conics in \(\mathrm{PG}(2,q)\), \(q\) even, then the union of the points of the conics of \(C\) together with their common nucleus is a degree \(|C|+1\) maximal arc in \(\mathrm{PG}(2,q)\). Arcs of this type are known arcs of as Mathon type. Hamilton and Thas previously have described a link between maximal arcs of Mathon type and partial flocks of the quadratic cone. The authors give a geometric link between these two structures. A partial flock is a set of disjoint non-singular conics on a cone. It is said to be complete if it is not contained in a larger flock. A plane containing the conics is called a flock plane. Using a definition of composition on the flock planes, the authors give an analogue of the synthetic version of Mathon's theorem. Additionally, they show how it is possible to construct a maximal arc of Mathon type of degree \(2d\), containing a Denniston arc of degree \(d\) provided that there is a solution to a certain given system of trace conditions.