Partial ovoids and partial spreads in symplectic and orthogonal polar spaces

We present improved lower bounds on the sizes of small maximal partial ovoids and small maximal partial spreads in the classical symplectic and orthogonal polar spaces, and improved upper bounds on the sizes of large maximal partial ovoids and large maximal partial spreads in the classical symplectic and orthogonal polar spaces. An overview of the status regarding these results is given in tables. The similar results for the hermitian classical polar spaces are presented in [J. De Beule, A. Klein, K. Metsch, L. Storme, Partial ovoids and partial spreads in hermitian polar spaces, Des. Codes Cryptogr. (in press)]

Symplectic spreads, planar functions and mutually unbiased bases

In this paper we give explicit descriptions of complete sets of mutually unbiased bases (MUBs) and orthogonal decompositions of special Lie algebras $sl_n(\mathbb{C})$ obtained from commutative and symplectic semifields, and from some other non-semifield symplectic spreads. Relations between various constructions are also studied. We show that the automorphism group of a complete set of MUBs is isomorphic to the automorphism group of the corresponding orthogonal decomposition of the Lie algebra $sl_n(\mathbb{C})$. In the case of symplectic spreads this automorphism group is determined by the automorphism group of the spread. By using the new notion of pseudo-planar functions over fields of characteristic two we give new explicit constructions of complete sets of MUBs.Comment: 20 page

Slices of the unitary spread

We prove that slices of the unitary spread of Q(+)(7, q), q equivalent to 2 (mod 3), can be partitioned into five disjoint classes. Slices belonging to different classes are non-equivalent under the action of the subgroup of P Gamma O+(8, q) fixing the unitary spread. When q is even, there is a connection between spreads of Q(+)(7, q) and symplectic 2-spreads of PG(5, q) (see Dillon, Ph.D. thesis, 1974 and Dye, Ann. Mat. Pura Appl. (4) 114, 173-194, 1977). As a consequence of the above result we determine all the possible non-equivalent symplectic 2-spreads arising from the unitary spread of Q(+)(7, q), q = 2(2h+1). Some of these already appeared in Kantor, SIAM J. Algebr. Discrete Methods 3(2), 151-165, 1982. When q = 3(h), we classify, up to the action of the stabilizer in P Gamma O(7, q) of the unitary spread of Q(6, q), those among its slices producing spreads of the elliptic quadric Q(-)(5, q)

Symplectic spreads and symplectically paired spreads

If is a finite symplectic translation plane, it is shown that any affine homology group is cyclic and has order dividing the order of the kernel homology group. This criterion provides a means to ensure that a given spread is not symplectic. Furthermore, a variety of symplectically paired André spreads are constructed

Constant rank-distance sets of hermitian matrices and partial spreads in hermitian polar spaces

In this paper we investigate partial spreads of $H(2n-1,q^2)$ through the related notion of partial spread sets of hermitian matrices, and the more general notion of constant rank-distance sets. We prove a tight upper bound on the maximum size of a linear constant rank-distance set of hermitian matrices over finite fields, and as a consequence prove the maximality of extensions of symplectic semifield spreads as partial spreads of $H(2n-1,q^2)$. We prove upper bounds for constant rank-distance sets for even rank, construct large examples of these, and construct maximal partial spreads of $H(3,q^2)$ for a range of sizes

On symplectic semifield spreads of PG(5,q2), q odd

We prove that there exist exactly three non-equivalent symplectic semifield spreads of PG ( 5 , q2), for q2> 2 .38odd, whose associated semifield has center containing Fq. Equivalently, we classify, up to isotopy, commutative semifields of order q6, for q2> 2 .38odd, with middle nucleus containing q2Fq2and center containing q Fq

Symplectic Groups, Symplectic Spreads, Codes, and Unimodular Lattices

AbstractIt is known that the symplectic groupSp2n(p) has two (complex conjugate) irreducible representations of degree (pn+1)/2 realized overQ(−p), provided thatp≡3mod4. In the paper we give an explicit construction of an odd unimodularSp2n(p)·2-invariant lattice Δ(p,n) in dimensionpn+1 for anypn≡3mod4. Such a lattice has been constructed by R. Bacher and B. B. Venkov in the casepn=27. A second main result says that these lattices are essentially unique. We show that forn≥3 the minimum of Δ(p,n) is at least (p+1)/2 and at mostp(n−1)/2. The interrelation between these lattices, symplectic spreads of Fp2n, and self-dual codes over Fpis also investigated. In particular, using new results of U. Dempwolff and L. Bader, W. M. Kantor, and G. Lunardon, we come to three extremal self-dual ternary codes of length 28

Some results on spreads and ovoids

We survey some results on ovoids and spreads of finite polar spaces, focusing on the ovoids of H(3,q^2) arising from spreads of PG(3,q) via indicator sets and Shult embedding, and on some related constructions. We conclude with a remark on symplectic spreads of PG(2n-1,q)