On the universal embedding of the \(Sp_{2n}(2)\) dual polar space (Q5937127)

The author proves that the universal embedding of the \(Sp_{2n}(2)\) dual polar space has dimension exactly \((2^n + 1)(2^{n - 1} + 1)/3\). This shows that a conjecture of A. E. Brouwer holds true. Let \(g(n) = (2^n + 1)(2^{n - 1} + 1)/3\). Brouwer has shown that the dimension of the universal embedding of the \(Sp_{2n}(2)\) dual polar space is greater than or equal to \(g(n)\), and has conjectured the equality. For particular choices of \(n\), (\(n\leq 7\)), this conjecture has been settled in the affirmative by some people, using different arguments, coming both from geometric investigations and from computer calculations. The paper under review presents a proof of the general case, which uses an argument of Bardoe-Ivanov [\textit{M. K. Bardoe} and \textit{A. A. Ivanov}, Draft report: Natural representations of dual polar spaces, unpublished] and a technique of McClurg [\textit{P. McClurg}, J. Comb. Theory Ser. A 90, 104-122, doi:10.1006/jcta.1999.3020 (2000)]. Notice that, as the author says, a new proof of the same result has been found by A. Blokhuis and A. E. Brouwer [\textit{A. Blokhuis} and \textit{A. E. Brouwer}, The universal embedding dimension of the binary simplectic dual polar space, preprint]. Finally, on page 114 a misprint occurs. Clearly the author means Corollary 4.1 instead of Corollary 4.6.