Related papers: Classification of flag-transitive Steiner quadrupl…
Let $\mathcal{D}$ be a nontrivial $3$-$(v,k,1)$ design admitting a block-transitive group $G$ of automorphisms. A recent work of Gan and the second author asserts that $G$ is either affine or almost simple. In this paper, it is proved that…
Steiner triple systems (STSs) have been classified up to order 19. Earlier estimations of the number of isomorphism classes of STSs of order 21, the smallest open case, are discouraging as for classification, so it is natural to focus on…
In this paper we completely classify spreads of 2-dimensional subspaces of a 6-dimensional vector space over a finite field of characteristic not two or three upon which a cyclic group acts transitively. This addresses one of the remaining…
A $3$-$(v,\{4,6\},1)$ design is a configuration of $v$ points and a collection of $4$- and $6$-element subsets called blocks, that jointly contain every 3-element subset exactly once. Using an exhaustive computer search on $v\leq 28$ points…
It is shown that, apart from the smallest Ree group, a flag-transitive automorphism group $G$ of a $2$-$(k^{2}, k, \lambda)$ design D, with $\lambda \mid k$, is either an affine group or an almost simple classical group. Moreover, when $G$…
A generalization of von Staudt's theorem that every permutation of the projective line that preserves harmonic quadruples is a projective semilinear map is given. It is then concluded that any proper supergroup of permutations of the…
Via computer search, we found seven non-isomorphic $1$-rotational Steiner systems $S(2,6,226)$ and six point-transitive Steiner systems $S(2,6,441)$, resolving two of $29$ previously undecided cases for $S(2,6,v)$.
In this article, we study $2$-$(v,k,\lambda)$ designs $\mathcal{D}$ with $\lambda$ prime admitting flag-transitive and point-primitive almost simple automorphism groups $G$ with socle $T$ a finite exceptional simple group or a sporadic…
The smallest open case for classifying Steiner triple systems is order 21. A Steiner triple system of order 21, an STS(21), can have subsystems of orders 7 and 9, and it is known that there are 12,661,527,336 isomorphism classes of STS(21)s…
This paper determined all pairs $(\mathcal{D},G)$ where $\mathcal{D}$ is a non-symmetric 2-$(v,k,\lambda)$ design with $(r,\lambda)=1$ and $G$ is the almost simple flag-transitive automorphism group of $\mathcal{D}$ with an exceptional…
Block-transitive Steiner $t$-designs form a central part of the study of highly symmetric combinatorial configurations at the interface of several disciplines, including group theory, geometry, combinatorics, coding and information theory,…
We initiate the study of extended bicolorings of Steiner triple systems (STS) which start with a $k$-bicoloring of an STS($v$) and end up with a $k$-bicoloring of an STS($2v+1$) obtained by a doubling construction, using only the original…
Kirkman triple systems (KTSs) are among the most popular combinatorial designs and their existence has been settled a long time ago. Yet, in comparison with Steiner triple systems, little is known about their automorphism groups. In…
In this article, we study symmetric $(v, k, \lambda)$ designs admitting a flag-transitive and point-primitive automorphism group $G$ whose socle is $PSU_{4}(q)$. We prove that there exist eight non-isomorphic such designs for which…
In this article, we study $2$-designs with prime replication number admitting a flag-transitive automorphism group. The automorphism groups of these designs are point-primitive of almost simple or affine type. We determine $2$-designs with…
Nested Steiner quadruple systems are designs derived from Steiner quadruple systems (SQSs) by partitioning each block into pairs. A nested SQS is completely uniform if every possible pair appears with equal multiplicity, and completely…
An $r$-block-coloring, simply $r$-coloring, of a Steiner triple system $\mathrm{STS}(v)$ is a partition of the block set into $r$ color classes, each color class being a partial parallel class. The chromatic index of $\mathrm{STS}(v)$,…
Given an STS(v), we ask if there is a permutation of the points of the design such that no $\ell$ consecutive points in this permutation contain a block of the design. Results are obtained in the cases $\ell = 3,4$.
Coding theory and $t$-designs have close connections and interesting interplay. In this paper, we first introduce a class of ternary linear codes and study their parameters. We then focus on their three-weight subcodes with a special weight…
Ostrom and Wagner (1959) proved that if the automorphism group $G$ of a finite projective plane $\pi$ acts $2$-transitively on the points of $\pi$, then $\pi$ is isomorphic to the Desarguesian projective plane and $G$ is isomorphic to…