Tits Triangles

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.

Indices for the Exceptional Bruhat-Tits Buildings

This chapter considers the affine Tits indices for exceptional Bruhat-Tits buildings. It begins with a few small observations and some notations dealing with the relative type of the affine Tits indices, the canonical correspondence between the circles in a Tits index and the vertices of its relative Coxeter diagram, and Moufang sets. It then presents a proposition about an involutory set, a quaternion division algebra, a root group sequence, and standard involution. It also describes Θ‎-orbits in S which are disjoint from A and which correspond to the vertices of the Coxeter diagram of Ξ‎ and hence to the types of the panels of Ξ‎. Finally, it shows how it is possible in many cases to determine properties of the Moufang set and the Tits index for all exceptional Bruhat-Tits buildings of type other than Latin Capital Letter G with Tilde₂.

Tits Indices

This chapter introduces the notion of a Tits index and the notion of the relative Coxeter diagram of a Tits index. It first defines a Tits index, which can be anisotropic or isotropic, quasi-split or split, before considering a number of propositions regarding compatible representations. It then gives a proof of the theorem that includes two assumptions about a Coxeter system, focusing on the absolute Coxeter system, the relative Coxeter system, and the relative Coxeter group of the Tits index, as well as the absolute Coxeter diagram (or absolute type), the relative Coxeter diagram (or relative type), and the absolute rank and the relative rank of the Tits index. The chapter concludes with some observations about the case that (W, S) is spherical, irreducible or affine.

Galois Involutions

This chapter focuses on the fixed points of a strictly semi-linear automorphism of order 2 of a spherical building which satisfies the conditions laid out in Hypothesis 30.1. It begins with the fhe definition of a spherical building satisfying the Moufang condition and a Galois involution of Δ‎, described as an automorphism of Δ‎ of order 2 that is strictly semi-linear. It can be recalled that Δ‎ can have a non-type-preserving semi-linear automorphism only if its Coxeter diagram is simply laced. The chapter assumes that the building Δ‎ being discussed is as in 30.1 and that τ‎ is a Galois involution of Δ‎. It also considers the notation stating that the polar region of a root α‎ of Δ‎ is the unique residue of Δ‎ containing the arctic region of α‎.

Orthogonal Buildings

This chapter presents a few results about certain forms of orthogonal buildings. It begins with notations stating that V is a K-vector space of positive dimension, (K, V, q) is a quadratic space of positive dimension, (K, V, q) is a regular quadratic space of positive Witt index, S is the vertex set of the Coxeter diagram, (K, V, q) is a hyperbolic quadratic space of dimension 2n for some n greater than or equal to 3, S is the vertex set of the Coxeter diagram for some n greater than or equal to 3, and Dn.l,script small l is the Tits index of absolute type Dn for n greater than or equal to 3. The chapter also considers propositions dealing with regular quadratic spaces and hyperbolic quadratic spaces.

Strictly Semi-linear Automorphisms

This chapter considers the action of a strictly semi-linear automorphism fixing a root on the corresponding root group. It begins with the hypothesis whereby Δ‎ is a Moufang spherical building and Π‎ is the Coxeter diagram of Δ‎; here the chapter fixes an apartment Σ‎ of Δ‎ and a root α‎ of Σ‎. The discussion then turns to a number of assumptions about an isomorphism of Moufang sets, anisotropic quadratic space, and root group sequence, followed by a lemma where E is an octonion division algebra with center F and norm N and D is a quaternion subalgebra of E. The chapter concludes with three versions of what is really one result about fixed points of non-linear automorphisms of the Moufang sets.

Linear Automorphisms

This chapter considers the notion of a linear automorphism of an arbitrary spherical building satisfying the Moufang property. It begins with the notation whereby Ω‎ = (U₊, U₁, ..., Uₙ) is the root group sequence and x₁, ... , xₙ the isomorphisms obtained by applying the recipe in [60, 16.x] for x = 1, 2, 3, ... or 9 to a parameter system Λ‎ of the suitable type (and for suitable n) and Δ‎ is the corresponding Moufang n-gon. The chapter proceeds by looking at cases where Λ‎ is a proper anisotropic pseudo-quadratic space defined over an involutory set or a quadratic space of type E⁶, E₇ or E₈. It also describes a notation dealing with the Moufang spherical building with Coxeter diagram Λ‎, an apartment of Δ‎, and a chamber of Σ‎.

Forms of Residually Pseudo-Split Buildings

This chapter deals with forms of residually pseudo-split buildings. The proof rests on the fact that in every case, there is a Galois action of Γ‎ := GalL/K on Δ‎L whose fixed point building is isomorphic to Δ‎. A Tits index = (Π‎, Θ‎, A) is displayed by drawing the Coxeter diagram, bending edges where necessary so that vertices in the same Θ‎-orbit are conspicuously near to each other, and putting a circle around the set of vertices in each orbit of Θ‎ disjoint from A. The chapter presents the main result showing that every exceptional Bruhat-Tits building of rank at least 3 but not of type G˜2 with Tilde₂ is the fixed point building of an unramified group of order 2 or 4 acting on a residually pseudo-split building.

Fixed Point Buildings

This chapter presents the proof for the Fundamental Theorem of Descent in buildings: that if Γ‎ is a descent group, the set of residues of a building Δ‎ that are stabilized by a subgroup Γ‎ of Aut(Γ‎) forms a thick building. It begins with the hypothesis: Let Π‎ be an arbitrary Coxeter diagram, let S be the vertex set of Π‎ and let (W, S) be the corresponding Coxeter system. It then defines a Γ‎-residue and a Γ‎-chamber as well as a descent group of Δ‎ before concluding with the main result about the fixed point building of Γ‎.

The Other Bruhat-Tits Buildings

This chapter summarizes the results about the residues of Bruhat-Tits buildings other than those associated with the exceptional Moufang quadrangles examined in previous chapters. It first considers cases, for which it assumes that Λ‎ is complete with respect to a discrete valuation in an appropriate sense. It then presents the Coxeter diagram of Ξ‎ and the vertex set S of such diagram, along with the J-residue of the building Ξ‎, which is called a gem if J is the complement in the S of a special vertex. The chapter also discusses the structure of the gems of Ξ‎ as well as cases in which the pseudo-quadratic space is defined to be ramified or unramified.