On the automorphism group of putative \((n,r)\)-arcs in \(\operatorname{PG}(2,11)\) and \(\operatorname{PG}(2,13)\)

Abstract

An \( (n,r) \)-arc in \( \operatorname{PG}(2,q) \) is a set \( \mathcal{B} \) of points in \( \operatorname{PG}(2,q) \) such that each line in \( \operatorname{PG}(2,q) \) contains at most \( r \) elements of \( \mathcal{B} \) and such that there is at least one line containing exactly \( r \) elements of \( \mathcal{B} \). The value \( m_r(2,q) \) denotes the maximal number \( n \) of points in the projective geometry \( \operatorname{PG}(2,q) \) for which an \( (n,r) \)-arc exists. We show by systematically excluding possible automorphisms that putative \( (44,5) \)-arcs, \( (90,9) \)-arcs in \( \operatorname{PG}(2,11) \), and \( (39,4) \)-arcs in \( \operatorname{PG}(2,13) \)—in case of their existence—are rigid, i.e. they all would only admit the trivial automorphism group of order \( 1 \). In addition, putative \( (50,5) \)-arcs, \( (65,6) \)-arcs, \( (119,10) \)-arcs, \( (133,11) \)-arcs, and \( (146,12) \)-arcs in \( \operatorname{PG}(2,13) \) would be rigid or would admit a unique automorphism group (up to conjugation) of order \( 2 \).