Abstract configurations in algebraic geometry

An abstract $(v_k,b_r)$-configuration is a pair of finite sets of cardinalities $v$ and $b$ with a relation on the product of the sets such that each element of the first set is related to the same number $k$ of elements from the second set and each element of the second set is related to the same number $r$ of elements in the first set. An example of an abstract configuration is a finite geometry. In this paper we discuss some examples of abstract configurations and, in particular finite geometries, which one encounters in algebraic geometry.Comment: 39 pages, 12 figure

On the order three Brauer classes for cubic surfaces

We describe a method to compute the Brauer-Manin obstruction for smooth cubic surfaces over \bbQ such that \Br(S)/\Br(\bbQ) is a 3-group. Our approach is to associate a Brauer class with every ordered triplet of Galois invariant pairs of Steiner trihedra. We show that all order three Brauer classes may be obtained in this way. To show the effect of the obstruction, we give explicit examples.Comment: Extended introduction, discussion of the example of Cassels and Gu

Luigi Cremona and cubic surfaces

We discuss Luigi Cremona's contribution to the early development of the theory of cubic surfaces.Comment: 12 page

Configurations of lines and models of Lie algebras

The automorphism groups of the 27 lines on the smooth cubic surface or the 28 bitangents to the general quartic plane curve are well-known to be closely related to the Weyl groups of $E\_6$ and $E\_7$. We show how classical subconfigurations of lines, such as double-sixes, triple systems or Steiner sets, are easily constructed from certain models of the exceptional Lie algebras. For ${\mathfrak e}\_7$ and ${\mathfrak e}\_8$ we are lead to beautiful models graded over the octonions, which display these algebras as plane projective geometries of subalgebras. We also interpret the group of the bitangents as a group of transformations of the triangles in the Fano plane, and show how this allows to realize the isomorphism $PSL(3,F\_2)\simeq PSL(2,F\_7)$ in terms of harmonic cubes.Comment: 31 page

Cubic surfaces with a Galois invariant pair of Steiner trihedra

We present a method to construct non-singular cubic surfaces over \bbQ with a Galois invariant pair of Steiner trihedra. We start with cubic surfaces in a form generalizing that of A. Cayley and G. Salmon. For these, we develop an explicit version of Galois descent

A linear system on Naruki's moduli space of marked cubic surfaces

Allcock and Freitag recently showed that the moduli space of marked cubic surfaces is a subvariety of a nine dimensional projective space which is defined by cubic equations. They used the theory of automorphic forms on ball quotients to obtain these results. Here we describe the same embedding using Naruki's toric model of the moduli space. We also give an explicit parametrization of the tritangent divisors, we discuss another way to find equations for the image and we show that the moduli space maps, with degree at least ten, onto the unique quintic hypersurface in a five dimensional projective space which is invariant under the action of the Weyl group of the root system E_6.Comment: 23 page

Polynomial cubic differentials and convex polygons in the projective plane

We construct and study a natural homeomorphism between the moduli space of polynomial cubic differentials of degree d on the complex plane and the space of projective equivalence classes of oriented convex polygons with d+3 vertices. This map arises from the construction of a complete hyperbolic affine sphere with prescribed Pick differential, and can be seen as an analogue of the Labourie-Loftin parameterization of convex RP^2 structures on a compact surface by the bundle of holomorphic cubic differentials over Teichmuller space.Comment: 64 pages, 5 figures. v3: Minor revisions according to referee report. v2: Corrections in section 5 and related new material in appendix

Structure of Cubic Lehman Matrices

A pair $(A,B)$ of square $(0,1)$-matrices is called a \emph{Lehman pair} if $AB^T=J+kI$ for some integer $k\in\{-1,1,2,3,\ldots\}$. In this case $A$ and $B$ are called \emph{Lehman matrices}. This terminology arises because Lehman showed that the rows with the fewest ones in any non-degenerate minimally nonideal (mni) matrix $M$ form a square Lehman submatrix of $M$. Lehman matrices with $k=-1$ are essentially equivalent to \emph{partitionable graphs} (also known as $(\alpha,\omega)$-graphs), so have been heavily studied as part of attempts to directly classify minimal imperfect graphs. In this paper, we view a Lehman matrix as the bipartite adjacency matrix of a regular bipartite graph, focusing in particular on the case where the graph is cubic. From this perspective, we identify two constructions that generate cubic Lehman graphs from smaller Lehman graphs. The most prolific of these constructions involves repeatedly replacing suitable pairs of edges with a particular $6$-vertex subgraph that we call a $3$-rung ladder segment. Two decades ago, L\"{u}tolf \& Margot initiated a computational study of mni matrices and constructed a catalogue containing (among other things) a listing of all cubic Lehman matrices with $k =1$ of order up to $17 \times 17$. We verify their catalogue (which has just one omission), and extend the computational results to $20 \times 20$ matrices. Of the $908$ cubic Lehman matrices (with $k=1$) of order up to $20 \times 20$, only two do not arise from our $3$-rung ladder construction. However these exceptions can be derived from our second construction, and so our two constructions cover all known cubic Lehman matrices with $k=1$

On quartics with three-divisible sets of cusps

We study the geometry and codes of quartic surfaces with many cusps. We apply Gr\"obner bases to find examples of various configurations of cusps on quartics.Comment: 15 page

The exterior splash in PG(6,q): Transversals

Let $\pi$ be an order-$q$-subplane of $PG(2,q^3)$ that is exterior to $\ell_\infty$. Then the exterior splash of $\pi$ is the set of $q^2+q+1$ points on $\ell_\infty$ that lie on an extended line of $\pi$. Exterior splashes are projectively equivalent to scattered linear sets of rank 3, covers of the circle geometry $CG(3,q)$, and hyper-reguli in $PG(5,q)$. In this article we use the Bruck-Bose representation in $PG(6,q)$ to investigate the structure of $\pi$, and the interaction between $\pi$ and its exterior splash. In $PG(6,q)$, an exterior splash $\mathbb S$ has two sets of cover planes (which are hyper-reguli) and we show that each set has three unique transversals lines in the cubic extension $PG(6,q^3)$. These transversal lines are used to characterise the carriers of $\mathbb S$, and to characterise the sublines of $\mathbb S$