Some New Maximal Sets of Mutually Orthogonal Latin Squares

Abstract

Two ways of constructing maximal sets of mutually orthogonal Latin squares are presented. The first construction uses maximal partial spreads in PG(3, 4) b PG(3, 2) with r lines, where r ∈ l6, 7r, to construct transversal-free translation nets of order 16 and degree r + 3 and hence maximal sets of r + 1 mutually orthogonal Latin squares of order 16. Thus sets of t MAXMOLS(16) are obtained for two previously open cases, namely for t e 7 and t e 8. The second one uses the (non)existence of spreads and ovoids of hyperbolic quadrics Q+ (2m + 1, q), and yields infinite classes of q2n − 1 − 1 MAXMOLS(q2n), for n ≥ 2 and q a power of two, and for n e 2 and q a power of three.