Faber's lower-bound conjecture for Kakeya sets in odd-order projective planes

Let πq\pi_q be a projective plane of odd order qq, and let KK be a Kakeya set in πq\pi_q, meaning that KK contains at least one point on each line of a fixed line pencil. Faber's conjecture. Every Kakeya set KK satisfies

Kq(q+1)2+q12.|K|\ge \frac{q(q+1)}{2}+\frac{q-1}{2}.

For even qq, the corresponding lower bound Kq(q+1)/2|K|\ge q(q+1)/2 is attained by the construction from a dual hyperoval; when qq is odd, the conjectured bound is motivated by the absence of hyperovals and by the associated construction from a dual oval. The conjecture was raised and studied by X. W. C. Faber; the supplied text does not establish whether it has been resolved.

Sources & referencesView supporting material

Primary source

Aart Blokhuis and Francesco Mazzocca, “The Finite Field Kakeya Problem”, arXiv:0911.4370 (2009).

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