A characterization of ''likeable'' translation planes (Q788998)

A translation plane of order \(q^ 2\) is said to be 'likeable' when it has kern \(GF(q)\) and when its linear translation complement contains a group of order \(q^ 2\) whose elation subgroup consists of elements, which, when the plane is constructed from a spread in \(PG(3,q)\), fix a regulus. Such planes are studied in this paper, mostly in terms of \(4\times 4\) triangular matrices giving spreads, and are found, with exceptions, to belong either to a class of planes of odd order for which \(q\equiv -1(mod 6)\) previously studied by \textit{M. Walker} [''On translation planes and their collineation groups'', Thesis, Univ. London (1973)] or to a class of planes of even order for which \(q\equiv 2(\bmod 3)\) previously studied by \textit{D. Betten} [Geom. Deidcata 2, 327-339 (1973; Zbl 0272.50028)]. The proofreading for this paper was below standard. In particular the rows in the matrix in (2.3) have been transposed.