Local Sharply Transitive Actions on Finite Generalized Quadrangles

Abstract

We classify the finite generalized quadrangles containing a line L such that some group of collineations acts sharply transitively on the ordered pentagons which start with two points of L. This can be seen as a generalization of a result of Thas and the second author [22] classifying all finite generalized quadrangles admitting a collineation group that acts transitively on all ordered pentagons, although the restriction to sharp transitivity is essential in our arguments. However, the conclusion is exactly the same family of classical generalized quadrangles (the orthogonal quadrangles and their duals). Our main result thus provides a local group theoretic characterization of these classical quadrangles.