Equiangular lines, mutually unbiased bases, and spin models

We use difference sets to construct interesting sets of lines in complex space. Using (v,k,1)-difference sets, we obtain k^2-k+1 equiangular lines in C^k when k-1 is a prime power. Using semiregular relative difference sets with parameters (k,n,k,l) we construct sets of n+1 mutually unbiased bases in C^k. We show how to construct these difference sets from commutative semifields and that several known maximal sets of mutually unbiased bases can be obtained in this way, resolving a conjecture about the monomiality of maximal sets. We also relate mutually unbiased bases to spin models.Comment: 23 pages; no figures. Minor correction as pointed out in arxiv.org:1104.337

Sets of Complex Unit Vectors with Two Angles and Distance-Regular Graphs

We study {0,\alpha}-sets, which are sets of unit vectors of $\mathbb{C}^m$ in which any two distinct vectors have angle 0 or \alpha. We investigate some distance-regular graphs that provide new constructions of {0,\alpha}-sets using a method by Godsil and Roy. We prove bounds for the sizes of {0,\alpha}-sets of flat vectors, and characterize all the distance-regular graphs that yield {0,\alpha}-sets meeting the bounds at equality.Comment: 15 page

Constructions of biangular tight frames and their relationships with equiangular tight frames

We study several interesting examples of Biangular Tight Frames (BTFs) - basis-like sets of unit vectors admitting exactly two distinct frame angles (ie, pairwise absolute inner products) - and examine their relationships with Equiangular Tight Frames (ETFs) - basis-like systems which admit exactly one frame angle. We demonstrate a smooth parametrization BTFs, where the corresponding frame angles transform smoothly with the parameter, which "passes through" an ETF answers two questions regarding the rigidity of BTFs. We also develop a general framework of so-called harmonic BTFs and Steiner BTFs - which includes the equiangular cases, surprisingly, the development of this framework leads to a connection with the famous open problem(s) regarding the existence of Mersenne and Fermat primes. Finally, we construct a (chordally) biangular tight set of subspaces (ie, a tight fusion frame) which "Pl\"ucker embeds" into an ETF.Comment: 19 page