Hemisystems of small flock generalized quadrangles

In this paper, we describe a complete computer classification of the hemisystems in the two known flock generalized quadrangles of order $(5^2,5)$ and give numerous further examples of hemisystems in all the known flock generalized quadrangles of order $(s^2,s)$ for $s \le 11$. By analysing the computational data, we identify two possible new infinite families of hemisystems in the classical generalized quadrangle $H(3,q^2)$.Comment: slight revisions made following referee's reports, and included raw dat

Implications of vanishing Krein parameters on Delsarte designs, with applications in finite geometry

In this paper we show that if $\theta$ is a $T$-design of an association scheme $(\Omega, \mathcal{R})$, and the Krein parameters $q_{i,j}^h$ vanish for some $h \not \in T$ and all $i, j \not \in T$ ($i, j, h \neq 0$), then $\theta$ consists of precisely half of the vertices of $(\Omega, \mathcal{R})$ or it is a $T'$-design, where $|T'|>|T|$. We then apply this result to various problems in finite geometry. In particular, we show for the first time that nontrivial $m$-ovoids of generalised octagons of order $(s, s^2)$ do not exist. We give short proofs of similar results for (i) partial geometries with certain order conditions; (ii) thick generalised quadrangles of order $(s,s^2)$; (iii) the dual polar spaces $\mathsf{DQ}(2d, q)$, $\mathsf{DW}(2d-1,q)$ and $\mathsf{DH}(2d-1,q^2)$, for $d \ge 3$; (iv) the Penttila-Williford scheme. In the process of (iv), we also consider a natural generalisation of the Penttila-Williford scheme in $\mathsf{Q}^-(2n-1, q)$, $n\geqslant 3$.Comment: This paper builds on part of the doctoral work of the second author under the supervision of the first. The second author acknowledges the support of an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship and Australian Research Council Discovery Project DP20010195

Uniformity in Association schemes and Coherent Configurations: Cometric Q-Antipodal Schemes and Linked Systems

2010 Mathematics Subject Classification. Primary 05E30, Secondary 05B25, 05C50, 51E12

Uniformity in association schemes and coherent configurations: cometric Q-antipodal schemes and linked systems

Inspired by some intriguing examples, we study uniform association schemes and uniform coherent configurations, including cometric Q-antipodal association schemes. After a review of imprimitivity, we show that an imprimitive association scheme is uniform if and only if it is dismantlable, and we cast these schemes in the broader context of certain --- uniform --- coherent configurations. We also give a third characterization of uniform schemes in terms of the Krein parameters, and derive information on the primitive idempotents of such a scheme. In the second half of the paper, we apply these results to cometric association schemes. We show that each such scheme is uniform if and only if it is Q-antipodal, and derive results on the parameters of the subschemes and dismantled schemes of cometric Q-antipodal schemes. We revisit the correspondence between uniform indecomposable three-class schemes and linked systems of symmetric designs, and show that these are cometric Q-antipodal. We obtain a characterization of cometric Q-antipodal four-class schemes in terms of only a few parameters, and show that any strongly regular graph with a ("non-exceptional") strongly regular decomposition gives rise to such a scheme. Hemisystems in generalized quadrangles provide interesting examples of such decompositions. We finish with a short discussion of five-class schemes as well as a list of all feasible parameter sets for cometric Q-antipodal four-class schemes with at most six fibres and fibre size at most 2000, and describe the known examples. Most of these examples are related to groups, codes, and geometries.Comment: 42 pages, 1 figure, 1 table. Published version, minor revisions, April 201

Implementing Brouwer's database of strongly regular graphs

Andries Brouwer maintains a public database of existence results for strongly regular graphs on $n\leq 1300$ vertices. We implemented most of the infinite families of graphs listed there in the open-source software Sagemath, as well as provided constructions of the "sporadic" cases, to obtain a graph for each set of parameters with known examples. Besides providing a convenient way to verify these existence results from the actual graphs, it also extends the database to higher values of $n$.Comment: 18 pages, LaTe