Automorphisms and opposition in spherical buildings of exceptional type. II: Moufang hexagons (Q6060086)

Let \(\Gamma\) be any Moufang hexagon. The authors classify the automorphisms of \(\Gamma\) that map no chamber (i.e. flag) of \(\Gamma\) to an opposite chamber; such automorphisms are called domestic. The main result says (roughly) that the nontrivial domestic automorphisms of \(\Gamma\) are either long root elations or they have order \(3\) (when \(\Gamma\) is a split Cayley hexagon or a mixed hexagon or a triality hexagon of type \(^3 D_4\), up to duality) or they have order \(4\) (when \(\Gamma\) is finite with parameters \((s,t) = (2,2), (2,8)\) or \((8,2)\)). The proof uses the description of \(\Gamma\) in terms of hexagonal systems, see [\textit{J. Tits} and \textit{R. M. Weiss}, Moufang polygons. Berlin: Springer (2002; Zbl 1010.20017)] and results by \textit{J. Parkinson} et al. [Ann. Comb. 19, No. 3, 567--619 (2015; Zbl 1327.05048)] that reduce the task to point-domestic automorphisms (which map no point to an opposite point). Domestic automorphisms of other spherical buildings of exceptional types are classified by the authors in [Innov. Incidence Geom. 17, No. 2, 141--188 (2019; Zbl 1472.51005); Can. J. Math. 74, No. 6, 1517--1578 (2022; Zbl 1510.20031)].