Unitals in PG\((2,q^2)\) with a large 2-point stabiliser (Q658089)

\textit{L. M. Abatangelo} [Matematiche 39, No. 1--2, 101--110 (1984; Zbl 0632.51005)] showed that a Buekenhout-Metz unital in the Desarguesian projective plane PG\((2, q^2)\), where \(q\) is odd, is classical if and only if the unital admits a cyclic 2-point stabiliser of order \(q^2-1\). In the paper under review the authors prove that this characterization is valid for any unital \(\mathcal{U}\) and any prime power \(q\). They consider a subgroup \(M\) of PGL\((3, q^2)\) which preserves a unital \(\mathcal{U}\) in PG\((2, q^2)\) such that the stabiliser \(G=M_{P,Q}\) of two points \(P,Q\in\mathcal{U}\) has order \(q^2-1\). It is shown that \(G\) is cyclic, and that there exists a projective frame in PG\((2, q^2\)) such that \(G\) is generated by a projectivity \(g_{\lambda,\mu}\) represented by a diagonal matrix with diagonal entries \((\lambda,\mu,1)\) where \(\lambda\) is a primitive element of GF\((q^2)\) and \(\mu\) is a primitive element of GF\((q)\). The crucial step is to construct a projective plane \(\Pi\) of order \(q\). Points are the non-trivial \(g_{\lambda,\lambda^{q+1}}\)-orbits in the affine plane which arises from PG\((2, q^2)\) by removing the line \(X_3=0\) with all its points. Lines are certain non-degenerate Hermitian curves and Hermitian cones. In case \(\mu=\lambda^{q+1}\), the unital \(\mathcal{U}\) gives rise to a set \(\Gamma\) of \(q + 1\) points in \(\Pi\). It is then shown that \(\Gamma\) itself is a line of \(\Pi\) and thus that \(\mathcal{U}\) coincides with one of the defining Hermitian curves. More involved considerations in \(\Pi\) show that the case \(\mu\neq\lambda^{q+1}\) cannot occur.