The Quintic Grassmannian $G_{1,4,2}$ in PG(9, 2)

Abstract

The 155 points of the Grassmannian $G_{1,4,2}$ of lines of PG (4, 2) = $\mathbb{P}V\left( {5,2} \right)$ are those points $x \in {\text{PG}}\left( {{\text{9,2}}} \right) = \mathbb{P}\left( { \wedge {}^2V\left( {5,2} \right)} \right)$ which satisfy a certain quintic equation Q(x) = 0. (The quintic polynomial Q is given explicitly in Shaw and Gordon [3].) A projective flat X $\subset$ PG (9, 2) will be termed odd or even according as X intersects $G_{1,4,2}$ in an odd or even number of points. Let $Q^\ddag \left( {x_1 ,...,x_5 } \right)$ denote the alternating quinquelinear form obtained by completely polarizing Q. We define the associate Y = X ^# of a r-flat X $\subset$ PG (9, 2) by

$$Y = \left\{ {y \in {\text{PG}}\left( {n{\text{,2}}} \right)\left| {Q^\ddag \left( {x_1 ,x_{2,} ,x_3 ,x_4 ,y} \right)} \right. = 0,\quad {\text{for}}\;{\text{all}}\,x_1 ,x_{2,} ,x_3 ,x_4 \in X} \right\}.$$

. Because $Q^\ddag$ is quinquelinear, the associate X ^# of an r-flat X is an s-flat for some s. The cases where r = 4 are of particular interest: if X is an odd 4-flat then X $\subseteq$ X ^# while if X is an even 4-flat then X ^# is necessarily also a 4-flat which is moreover disjoint from X. We give an example of an odd 4-flat X which is self-associate: X ^# = X. An example of an even 4-flat X such that $\left( {X^\# } \right)^\#$ = X is provided by any 4-flat X which is external to $G_{1,4,2}$. However, it appears that the two possibilities just illustrated, namely X ^# = X for an odd 4-flat and $\left( {X^\# } \right)^\#$ = X for an even 4-flat, are the exception rather than the rule. Indeed, we provide examples of odd 4-flats for which X ^# = PG (9, 2) and of even 4-flats for which ${X^{\# \# \# } }$ = X.