We solve a fundamental question posed in Frohardt’s 1988 paper [6] on finite $2$-groups with Kantor familes, by showing that finite groups K with a Kantor family $(\mathcal {F},\mathcal {F}^*)$ having distinct members $A, B \in \mathcal {F}$ such that $A^* \cap B^*$ is a central subgroup of K and the quotient $K/(A^* \cap B^*)$ is abelian cannot exist if the center of K has exponent $4$ and the members of $\mathcal {F}$ are elementary abelian. Then we give a short geometrical proof of a recent result of Ott which says that finite skew translation quadrangles of even order $(t,t)$ (where t is not a square) are always translation generalized quadrangles. This is a consequence of a complete classification of finite cyclic skew translation quadrangles of order $(t,t)$ that we carry out in the present paper.

A Tits polygon is a bipartite graph in which the neighborhood of every vertex is endowed with an “opposition relation” satisfying certain properties. Moufang polygons are precisely the Tits polygons in which these opposition relations are all trivial. There is a standard construction that produces a Tits polygon whose opposition relations are not all trivial from an arbitrary pair $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E5},T)$, where $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E5}$ is a building of type $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6F1}$, $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6F1}$ is a spherical, irreducible Coxeter diagram of rank at least $3$, and $T$ is a Tits index of absolute type $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6F1}$ and relative rank $2$. A Tits polygon is called $k$-plump if its opposition relations satisfy a mild condition that is satisfied by all Tits triangles coming from a pair $(\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E5},T)$ such that every panel of $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6E5}$ has at least $k+1$ chambers. We show that a $5$-plump Tits triangle is parametrized and uniquely determined by a ring $R$ that is alternative and of stable rank $2$. We use the connection between Tits triangles and the theory of Veldkamp planes as developed by Veldkamp and Faulkner to show existence.

We solve a problem posed by Cardinali and Sastry (Elliptic ovoids and their rosettes in a classical generalized quadrangle of even order. Proc. Indian Acad. Sci. Math. Sci.126 (2016), 591–612) about factorization of 2-covers of finite classical generalized quadrangles (GQs). To that end, we develop a general theory of cover factorization for GQs, and in particular, we study the isomorphism problem for such covers and associated geometries. As a byproduct, we obtain new results about semi-partial geometries coming from θ-covers, and consider related problems.

An anisotropic solution adaptive method based on unstructured quadrilateral meshes for inviscid compressible flows is proposed. The data structure, the directional refinement and coarsening, including the method for initializing the refined new cells, for the anisotropic adaptive method are described. It provides efficient high resolution of flow features, which are aligned with the original quadrilateral mesh structures. Five different cases are provided to show that it could be used to resolve the anisotropic flow features and be applied to model the complex geometry as well as to keep a relative high order of accuracy on an efficient anisotropic mesh.

We give an explicit construction of the Ree groups of type G2 as groups acting on mixed Moufang hexagons together with detailed proofs of the basic properties of these groups contained in the two fundamental papers of Tits on this subject (see [7] and [8]). We also give a short proof that the norm of a Ree group is anisotropic.

In this paper, we present some geometric characterizations of the Moufang quadrangles of mixed type, i.e., the Moufang quadrangles all the points and lines of which are regular. Roughly, we classify generalized quadrangles with enough (to be made precise) regular points and lines with the property that the dual nets associated to the regular points satisfy the Axiom of Veblen-Young, or a very weak version of the Axiom of Desargues. As an application we obtain a geometric characterization and axiomatization of the generalized inversive planes arising from the Suzuki-Tits ovoids related to a polarity in a mixed quadrangle. In the perfect case this gives rise to a characterization with one axiom less than in a previous result by the second author.

A Laguerre plane is a geometry of points, lines and circles where three pairwise non-collinear points lie on a unique circle, any line and circle meet uniquely and finally, given a circle C and a point Q not on it for each point P on C there is a unique circle on Q and touching C at P. We generalise to a Laguerre geometry where three pairwise non-collinear points lie on a constant number of circles. Examples and conditions on the parameters of a Laguerre geometry are given.

A generalized quadrangle (GQ) is a point, line geometry in which for a non-incident point, line pair (P. m) there exists a unique point on m collinear with P. In certain cases we construct a Laguerre geometry from a GQ and conversely. Using Laguerre geometries we show that a GQ of order (s. s2) satisfying Property (G) at a pair of points is equivalent to a configuration of ovoids in three-dimensional projective space.

Let $\Delta$ be one of the dual polar spaces $DW(5,q)$ or $DH(5,q^2)$. We consider a class of subspaces of $\Delta$, each member of which carries the structure of a near hexagon, and classify all these subspaces. Using this classification, we determine all hyperplanes of $DW(5,q)$ without ovoidal quads.

We introduce the notion of valuation of a dense near polygon. The valuations of a dense near polygon $F$ describe the possible relations between a point of a dense near polygon $\cS$ and any geodetically closed sub near polygon of $\cS$ isomorphic to $F$. Several nice properties of valuations are given and several classes of these objects are defined. Valuations are an important tool for classifying dense near polygons.

We classify the generalized hexagons which are laxly embedded in projective space such that the embedding is flat and polarized. Besides the standard examples related to the hexagons defined over the algebraic groups of type ${{\text{G}}_{2}}$, ${}^{3}{{\text{D}}_{4}}$ and ${}^{6}{{\text{D}}_{\text{4}}}$ (and occurring in projective dimensions 5, 6, 7), we find new examples in unbounded dimension related to the mixed groups of type ${{\text{G}}_{2}}$ .

We prove the longstanding conjecture that the 3-Moufang condition for generalized quadrangles is equivalent to the Moufang condition. We mention some other characterizations of Moufang quadrangles that follow from this result. We also provide a short proof of Tent's recent result that every half Moufang quadrangle is necessarily a Moufang quadrangle.

It is shown that each finite translation generalized quadrangle (TGQ) $\mathcal{S}$, which is the translation dual of the point-line dual of a flock generalized quadrangle, has a line $[\infty]$ each point of which is a translation point. This leads to the fact that the full group of automorphisms of $\mathcal{S}$ acts $2$-transitively on the points of $[\infty]$, and the observation applies to the point-line duals of the Kantor flock generalized quadrangles, the Roman generalized quadrangles and the recently discovered Penttila-Williams generalized quadrangle. Moreover, by previous work of the author, the non-classical generalized quadrangles (GQ's) which have two distinct translation points, are precisely the TGQ's of which the translation dual is the point-line dual of a non-classical flock GQ.

We emphasize that, for a long time, it has been thought that every non-classical TGQ which is the translation dual of the point-line dual of a flock GQ has only one translation point. There are important consequences for the theory of generalized ovoids (or eggs) in PG$(4n - 1,q)$, the study of span-symmetric generalized quadrangles, derivation of flocks of the quadratic cone in PG$(3,q)$, subtended ovoids in generalized quadrangles, and the understanding of automorphism groups of certain generalized quadrangles. Several problems on these topics will be solved completely.

In this paper, we present a geometric construction of the Moufang quadrangles discovered by Richard Weiss (see Tits & Weiss [18] or Van Maldeghem [19]). The construction uses fixed point free involutions in certain mixed quadrangles, which are then extended to involutions of certain buildings of type ${{F}_{4}}$. The fixed flags of each such involution constitute a generalized quadrangle. This way, not only the new exceptional quadrangles can be constructed, but also some special type of mixed quadrangles.