On 6-sparse Steiner triple systems
type: Item
instance of: scholarly article
title: On 6-sparse Steiner triple systems
zbMATH Open document ID: 1121.05015
author: T. S. Griggs
author: Anthony D. Forbes
author: Michael John Grannell
published in: Journal of Combinatorial Theory. Series A
publication date: 2007-02-26T00:00:00Z
review text: A Steiner triple system of order \(v\) \([\text{STS}(v)]\) consists of a \(v\)-set \(V\) of elements and a family \(B\) of 3-subsets of \(V\) called triples such that each 2-subset of \(V\) is contained in exactly one triple of \(B\). A configuration in an \(\text{STS}(v)\) is a partial triple system consisting typically of a small number of triples. An \(\text{STS}(v)\) is \(k\)-sparse if it contains no configuration with \(n\) triples and \(n+2\) points for any \(4\leq n\leq k\). The 4-sparse STSs are precisely those which are anti-Pasch, and are known to exist for all orders \(v\) congruent to 1 or 3 modulo 6, except for \(v= 7\) or 13. The 5-sparse STSs are precisely those which are both anti-Pasch and anti-mitre, and have been shown by \textit{A. Wolfe} [Electron. J. Comb. 12, No. 1, Research paper R68, 42 p., electronic only (2005; Zbl 1079.05013)] to exist for almost all admissible orders. In this article, the authors use a construction of \textit{M. J. Grannell}, \textit{T. S. Griggs} and \textit{J. P. Murphy} [J. Comb. Des. 7, No. 5, 327--330 (1999; Zbl 0935.05016)] to obtain first examples of 6-sparse STSs. Their 29 examples given range from \(v= 139\) to \(v= 4447\); it is shown that these are the only 6-sparse STSs that can be obtained by using this method. A tripling construction and a product construction are then used to show that there exist infinitely many 6-sparse STSs. Also in this paper, the authors construct a new perfect STS of order \(v= 135\),859 and a new uniform (non-perfect) STS with \(v= 180\),907.
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 05B07
zbMATH DE Number: 5129729
MaRDI profile type: Publication
full work available at URL: j.jcta.2006.04.003
OpenAlex ID: W2016557032
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DOI: 10.1016/J.JCTA.2006.04.003
description: scientific article; zbMATH DE number 5129729