On Abelian Difference Sets with Parameters of 3-dimensional Projective Geometries

Abstract

A difference set is said to have classical parameters if $(v,k,\lambda )=(\frac{q^d-1}{q-1},\frac{q^{d-1}-1}{q-1},\frac{q^{d-2}-1}{q-1}).$ The case $d=3$ corresponds to planar difference sets. We focus here on the family of abelian difference sets with $d=4$. The only known examples of such difference sets correspond to the projective geometries $PG(3,q)$. We consider an arbitrary difference set with the parameters of $PG(3,q)$ in an abelian group and establish constraints on its structure. In particular, we discern embedded substructures.

12 pages