Equiangular lines, mutually unbiased bases, and spin models

Abstract

We use difference sets to construct interesting sets of lines in complex space. Using (v,k,1)-difference sets, we obtain k^2-k+1 equiangular lines in C^k when k-1 is a prime power. Using semiregular relative difference sets with parameters (k,n,k,l) we construct sets of n+1 mutually unbiased bases in C^k. We show how to construct these difference sets from commutative semifields and that several known maximal sets of mutually unbiased bases can be obtained in this way, resolving a conjecture about the monomiality of maximal sets. We also relate mutually unbiased bases to spin models.