Flocks and partial flocks of quadrics: A survey (Q5934184)

Let \({\mathcal Q}\) be an elliptic quadric, a hyperbolic quadric or a quadratic cone of PG\((3,q)\). A flock of \({\mathcal Q}\) is a set of pairwise disjoint irreducible conics on \({\mathcal Q}\) of order \(q-1,q+1,q\) respectively. The concept of flock has been extended also to cones of PG\((3,q)\) with base an oval or a hyperoval. The theory of flocks has applications to translation planes, generalized quadrangles, hyperovals, inversive planes and hyperbolic fibrations. Constructing new flocks gives new translation planes, new generalized quadrangles and, for \(q\) even, new hyperovals. Flocks of elliptic quadrics and hyperbolic quadrics have been classified while flocks of cones of PG\((3,q)\) are yet far to be classified. For an application of flocks to inversive planes we mention the following important theorem due to J. A. Thas where the classification theorem on flocks of \({\mathcal Q}^+(3,q)\) is an essential tool in the proof. Theorem. Let \({\mathcal I}\) be an inversive plane of odd order \(n\). If for at least one point \(x\) of \({\mathcal I}\) the internal plane \({\mathcal I}_x\) is Desarguesian, then \({\mathcal I}\) is Miquelian. Let \({\mathcal Q}\) be an elliptic quadric, a hyperbolic quadric or a quadratic cone of PG\((3,q)\). A partial flock of \({\mathcal Q}\) is a set of pairwise disjoint irreducible conics of \({\mathcal Q}\). Partial flocks that are not flocks have applications to \(k\)-arcs of PG\((2,q)\), to translation planes and to partial line spreads of PG\((3,q)\). Recently the definition of partial flock of quadratic cone of PG\((3,q)\) has been generalized to partial flock of a quadratic cone with vertex a point in PG\((2n+1,q)\), for \(n\geq 2\). The paper under review is a complete survey up to the date of its writing, but further work on partial flocks of quadrics and on flocks of cones has occurred since then. For instance, a new class of flocks over fields of order \(\pm 1\) modulo \(10\) appears in [\textit{T. Penttila}, Suppl. Rend. Circ. Mat. Palermo, II. Ser. 53, 167-172 (1998; Zbl 0911.51005)] and a new class of flocks in characteristic 3 appears in [\textit{M. Law} and \textit{T. Penttila}, J. Comb. Theory, Ser. A 94, 387-392 (2001; Zbl 0988.51008)]. A new class of flocks of cone in characteristic \(2\) appears in the paper by \textit{W. Cherowitzo, C. M. O'Keefe} and \textit{T. Penttila}: `A unified construction of finite geometries in characteristic two', that is in press on Adv. Geom. Concerning partial flocks of hyperbolic quadrics we mention the paper by \textit{L. Bader, N. Durante, M. Law, G. Lunardon} and \textit{T. Penttila}: `Flocks and partial flocks of hyperbolic quadrics via root systems', that is in press on J. Alg. Comb. A lot of further work on partial flocks of quadrics, on flocks of cones, and on related structures has appeared or is in press by a number of authors. Finally the author's own papers [\textit{J. A. Thas}, Suppl. Rend. Circ. Mat. Palermo, II. Ser. 53, 199-218 (1998; Zbl 0911.51006), J. Comb. Theory, Ser. A 87, 247-272 (1999; Zbl 0949.51003) and J. Comb. Theory, Ser. A 94, 51-62 (2001; Zbl 1008.51010)] give a geometrical construction of the generalized quadrangles associated with flocks and relate this construction to that of \textit{N. Knarr} [Result. Math. 21, 332-344 (1992; Zbl 0765.51006)].