In this paper we propose a refinement of Sims conjecture concerning the cardinality of the point stabilizers in finite primitive groups and we make some progress towards this refinement.
In this process, when dealing with primitive groups of diagonal type, we construct a finite primitive group $G$ on $Ω$ and two distinct points $α,β\in Ω$ with $G_{αβ}\unlhd G_α$ and $G_{αβ}\ne 1$, where $G_α$ is the stabilizer of $α$ in $G$ and $G_{αβ}$ is the stabilizer of $α$ and $β$ in $G$. In particular, this example gives an answer to a question raised independently by Peter Cameron and by Alexander Fomin.
A graph is edge-primitive if its automorphism group acts primitively on the edge set, and 2-arc-transitive if its automorphism group acts transitively on the set of 2-arcs. In this paper, we present a classification for those edge-primitive graphs which are 2-arc-transitive and have soluble edge-stabilizers.
We prove an elementary lemma concerning primitive amalgams and use it to greatly simplify the proof of the Sims conjecture in the case of almost simple groups.
We prove that there exists a universal constant $c$ such that any finite primitive permutation group of degree $n$ with a non-trivial point stabilizer is a product of no more than $c\log n$ point stabilizers.
We classify all infinite primitive permutation groups possessing a finite point stabilizer, thus extending the seminal Aschbacher-O'Nan-Scott Theorem to all primitive permutation groups with finite point stabilizers.
Many famous graphs are edge-primitive, for example, the Heawood graph, the Tutte--Coxeter graph and the Higman--Sims graph. In this paper we systematically analyse edge-primitive and edge-quasiprimitive graphs via the O'Nan--Scott Theorem to determine the possible edge and vertex actions of such graphs. Many interesting examples are given and we also determine all $G$-edge-primitive graphs for $G$ an almost simple group with socle $PSL(2,q)$.
The purpose of this paper is to classify all pairs $(\mathcal{D}, G)$, where $\mathcal{D}$ is a non-trivial $2$-$(v, k, 2)$ design, and $G\leq Aut(\mathcal{D})$ acts transitively on the set of blocks of $\mathcal{D}$ and primitively on the set of points of $\mathcal{D}$ with sporadic socle. We prove that there exists only one such pair $(\mathcal{D}, G)$ in which $\mathcal{D}$ is a $2$-$(176,8,2)$ design and $G=HS$, the Higman-Sims simple group.
Let $G$ be a finite permutation group on $Ω$. An ordered sequence $(ω_1,\ldots,ω_\ell)$ of elements of $Ω$ is an irredundant base for $G$ if the pointwise stabilizer is trivial and no point is fixed by the stabilizer of its predecessors. If all irredundant bases of $G$ have the same cardinality, $G$ is said to be an IBIS group. Lucchini, Morigi and Moscatiello have proved a theorem reducing the problem of classifying finite primitive IBIS groups $G$ to the case that the socle of $G$ is either abelian or non-abelian simple. In this paper, we classify the finite primitive IBIS groups having socl…
Let $G$ be a finite permutation group on $Ω$. An ordered sequence of elements of $Ω$, $(ω_1,\dots, ω_t)$, is an irredundant base for $G$ if the pointwise stabilizer $G_{(ω_1,\dots, ω_t)}$ is trivial and no point is fixed by the stabilizer of its predecessors. If all irredundant bases of $G$ have the same size we say that $G$ is an IBIS group. In this paper we show that if a primitive permutation group is IBIS, then it must be almost simple, of affine-type, or of diagonal type. Moreover we prove that a diagonal-type primitive permutation groups is IBIS if and only if it is isomorphic to $PSL(2,…
Fix a positive integer $d$ and let $Γ_d$ be the class of finite groups without sections isomorphic to the alternating group $A_d$. The groups in $Γ_d$ were studied by Babai, Cameron and Pálfy in the 1980s and they determined bounds on the order of a primitive permutation group with this property, which have found a wide range of applications. Subsequently, results on the base sizes of such groups were also obtained. In this paper we replace the structural conditions on the group by restrictions on its point stabilizers, and we obtain similar, and sometimes stronger conclusions. For example, we…
The subdegrees of a transitive permutation group are the orbit lengths of a point stabilizer. For a finite primitive permutation group which is not cyclic of prime order, the largest subdegree shares a non-trivial common factor with each non-trivial subdegree. On the other hand it is possible for non-trivial subdegrees of primitive groups to be coprime, a famous example being the rank 5 action of the small Janko group on 266 points which has subdegrees of lengths 11 and 12. We prove that, for every finite primitive group, the maximal size of a set of pairwise coprime non-trivial subdegrees is …
Let $G$ be a permutation group on a set $Ω$ of size $t$. We say that $Λ\subseteqΩ$ is an independent set if its pointwise stabilizer is not equal to the pointwise stabilizer of any proper subset of $Λ$. We define the height of $G$ to be the maximum size of an independent set, and we denote this quantity $\mathrm{H}(G)$. In this paper we study $\mathrm{H}(G)$ for the case when $G$ is primitive. Our main result asserts that either $\mathrm{H}(G)< 9\log t$, or else $G$ is in a particular well-studied family (the "primitive large--base groups"). An immediate corollary of this result is a character…
General bounds are presented for the diameters of orbital graphs of finite affine primitive permutation groups. For example, it is proved that the orbital diameter of a finite affine primitive permutation group with a nontrivial point stabilizer $ H \leq \mathrm{GL}(V) $, where the vector space $ V $ has dimension $ d $ over the prime field, can be bounded in terms of $ d $ and $ \log |V| / \log |H| $ only. Several infinite families of affine primitive permutation groups with large orbital diameter are constructed. The results are independent from the classification of finite simple groups.
Working in a theory with an integer-valued dimension on interpretable sets, we classify pseudofinite definably primitive permutation groups acting on one-dimensional sets which satisfy a version of chain condition on centralizers and on point-wise stabilizers. This generalises the classification of pseudofinite definably primitive permutation groups in supersimple theories of finite rank to supersimple theories of infinite rank.
In 2011, Fang et al. in (J. Combin. Theory A 118 (2011) 1039-1051) posed the following problem: Classify non-normal locally primitive Cayley graphs of finite simple groups of valency $d$, where either $d\leq 20$ or $d$ is a prime number. The only case for which the complete solution of this problem is known is of $d=3$. Except this, a lot of efforts have been made to attack this problem by considering the following problem: Characterize finite nonabelian simple groups which admit non-normal locally primitive Cayley graphs of certain valency $d\geq4$. Even for this problem, it was only solved f…
If $G$ is a group of permutations of a set $Ω$ and $α\in Ω$, then the {\em $α$-suborbits} of $G$ are the orbits of the stabilizer $G_α$ on $Ω$. The cardinality of an $α$-suborbit is called a {\em subdegree} of $G$. If the only $G$-invariant equivalence classes on $Ω$ are the trivial and universal relations, then $G$ is said to be a {\em primitive} group of permutations of $Ω$. In this paper we determine the structure of all primitive permutation groups whose subdegrees are bounded above by a finite cardinal number.
A subset $\mathcal{F}$ of a finite transitive group $G\leq \operatorname{Sym}(Ω)$ is intersecting if for any $g,h\in \mathcal{F}$ there exists $ω\in Ω$ such that $ω^g = ω^h$. The \emph{intersection density} $ρ(G)$ of $G$ is the maximum of $\left\{ \frac{|\mathcal{F}|}{|G_ω|} \mid \mathcal{F}\subset G \mbox{ is intersecting} \right\}$, where $G_ω$ is the stabilizer of $ω$ in $G$. In this paper, it is proved that if $G$ is an imprimitive group of degree $pq$, where $p$ and $q$ are distinct odd primes, with at least two systems of imprimitivity then $ρ(G) = 1$. Moreover, if $G$ is primitive of de…
Let $G \leqslant {\rm Sym}(Ω)$ be a finite almost simple primitive permutation group, with socle $G_0$ and point stabilizer $H$. A subset of $Ω$ is a base for $G$ if its pointwise stabilizer is trivial; the base size of $G$, denoted $b(G)$, is the minimal size of a base. We say that $G$ is standard if $G_0 = A_n$ and $Ω$ is an orbit of subsets or partitions of $\{1, \ldots, n\}$, or if $G_0$ is a classical group and $Ω$ is an orbit of subspaces (or pairs of subspaces) of the natural module for $G_0$. The base size of a standard group can be arbitrarily large, in general, whereas the situation …
Let $G$ be a finite primitive permutation group on a set $Ω$ with nontrivial point stabilizer $G_α$. We say that $G$ is extremely primitive if $G_α$ acts primitively on each of its orbits in $Ω\setminus \{α\}$. In earlier work, Mann, Praeger and Seress have proved that every extremely primitive group is either almost simple or of affine type and they have classified the affine groups up to the possibility of at most finitely many exceptions. More recently, the almost simple extremely primitive groups have been completely determined. If one assumes Wall's conjecture on the number of maximal sub…
Let $G$ be a finite primitive permutation group on a set $Ω$ with nontrivial point stabilizer $G_α$. We say that $G$ is extremely primitive if $G_α$ acts primitively on each of its orbits in $Ω\setminus \{α\}$. These groups arise naturally in several different contexts and their study can be traced back to work of Manning in the 1920s. In this paper, we determine the almost simple extremely primitive groups with socle an exceptional group of Lie type. By combining this result with earlier work of Burness, Praeger and Seress, this completes the classification of the almost simple extremely prim…
Suppose that $G$ is a finite, transitive, solvable permutation group acting on a set $S$ with $n$ elements. Let $G_0$ be the stabilizer of a point $α\in Ω$. Define the rank of a permutation group, denoted $r(G),$ as the number of distinct orbits of $G_0$ in $S$ (including the trivial orbit $\{α\}$). Huppert \cite{Huppert} and Foulser \cite{Foulser} classified all finite, solvable, permutation groups of rank two and three respectively, and Foulser restricted the rank four groups to a small list of possibilities. This paper completes the classification of all groups of rank less than $5$ by expl…
Let $G$ be a permutation group on a set $Ω$. A subset of $Ω$ is a base for $G$ if its pointwise stabilizer is trivial; the base size of $G$ is the minimal cardinality of a base. In this paper we initiate the study of bases for algebraic groups defined over an algebraically closed field. In particular, we calculate the base size for all primitive actions of simple algebraic groups, obtaining the precise value in almost all cases. We also introduce and study two new base measures, which arise naturally in this setting. We give an application concerning the essential dimension of simple algebraic…
For a finite group $G$, the Hurwitz space $\mathcal{H}^{in}_{r,g}(G)$ is the space of genus $g$ covers of the Riemann sphere with $r$ branch points and the monodromy group $G$. In this paper, we give a complete list of primitive genus one systems of affine type. That is, we assume that $G$ is a primitive group of affine type. Under this assumption we determine the braid orbits on the suitable Nielsen classes, which is equivalent to finding connected components in $\mathcal{H}^{in}_{r,1}(G)$. Furthermore, we give a new algorithm for computing large braid orbits on Nielsen classes. This algorith…
We refer to $d(G)$ as the minimal cardinality of a generating set of a finite group $G$, and say that $G$ is $d$-generated if $d(G)\leq d$. A transitive permutation group $G$ is called $\frac{3}{2}$-transitive if a point stabilizer $G_α$ is nontrivial and its orbits distinct from $\{α\}$ are of the same size. We prove that $d(G)\leq4$ for every primitive $\frac{3}{2}$-transitive permutation group $G$, moreover, $G$ is $2$-generated except for the very particular solvable affine groups that we completely describe. In particular, all finite $2$-transitive and $2$-homogeneous groups are $2$-gener…
Let G be a permutation group, acting on a set Ωof size n. A subset B of Ωis a base for G if the pointwise stabilizer G_(B) is trivial. Let b(G) be the minimal size of a base for G. A subgroup G of Sym(n) is large base if there exist integers m and r \geq 1 such that Alt(m)^r \unlhd G \leq Sym(m) \wr Sym(r), where the action of Sym(m) is on k-element subsets of {1,...,m} and the wreath product acts with product action. In this paper we prove that if G is primitive and not large base, then either G is the Mathieu group M24 in its natural action on 24 points, or b(G) \leq \lceil \log n\rceil+1. F…
Let $G$ be a finite permutation group on $Ω.$ An ordered sequence $(ω_1,\dots, ω_t)$ of elements of $Ω$ is an irredundant base for $G$ if the pointwise stabilizer is trivial and no point is fixed by the stabilizer of its predecessors. If all irredundant bases of $G$ have the same cardinality, $G$ is said to be an IBIS group. In this paper we give a classification of quasi-primitive soluble irreducible IBIS linear groups, and we also describe nilpotent and metacyclic IBIS linear groups and IBIS linear groups of odd order.
Let $G$ be a transitive permutation group on a finite set of size at least $2$. By a well known theorem of Fein, Kantor and Schacher, $G$ contains a derangement of prime power order. In this paper, we study the finite primitive permutation groups with the extremal property that the order of every derangement is an $r$-power, for some fixed prime $r$. First we show that these groups are either almost simple or affine, and we determine all the almost simple groups with this property. We also prove that an affine group $G$ has this property if and only if every two-point stabilizer is an $r$-grou…
In this paper, we study intersecting sets in primitive and quasiprimitive permutation groups. Let $G \leqslant \mathrm{Sym}(Ω)$ be a transitive permutation group, and ${S}$ an intersecting set. Previous results show that if $G$ is either 2-transitive or a Frobenius group, then $|{S}|\leqslant|G_ω|$ (for some $ω\in Ω$). Furthermore, for some 2-transitive groups, $|{S}|=|G_ω|$ if and only if ${S}$ is a coset of a stabilizer. In this paper, we prove that these statements are far from the truth for general transitive groups. In particular, we show that in the case of primitive groups, there is eve…
In 2002, Terao showed that every reflection multi-arrangement of a real reflection group with constant multiplicity is free by providing a basis of the module of derivations. We first generalize Terao's result to multi-arrangements stemming from well-generated unitary reflection groups, where the multiplicity of a hyperplane depends on the order of its stabilizer. Here the exponents depend on the exponents of the dual reflection representation. We then extend our results further to all imprimitive irreducible unitary reflection groups. In this case the exponents turn out to depend on the expon…
The {\em distinguishing number} of a group $G$ acting faithfully on a set $V$ is the least number of colors needed to color the elements of $V$ so that no non-identity element of the group preserves the coloring. The {\em distinguishing number} of a graph is the distinguishing number of its full automorphism group acting on its vertex set. A connected graph $Γ$ is said to have {\em connectivity 1} if there exists a vertex $α\in VΓ$ such that $Γ\setminus \{α\}$ is not connected. For $α\in V$, an orbit of the point stabilizer $G_α$ is called a {\em suborbit} of $G$. We prove that every connected…
Let $G$ be a permutation group on a finite set $Ω$. A subset $B \subseteq Ω$ is a base for $G$ if the pointwise stabilizer of $B$ in $G$ is trivial. The base size of $G$, denoted $b(G)$, is the smallest size of a base. A well known conjecture of Pyber from the early 1990s asserts that there exists an absolute constant $c$ such that $b(G) \le c\log |G| / \log n$ for any primitive permutation group $G$ of degree $n$. Some special cases have been verified in recent years, including the almost simple and diagonal cases. In this paper, we prove Pyber's conjecture for all non-affine primitive groups…
In this paper we classify all maximal subgroups M of a nearly simple primitive rank 3 group G of type L=Omega_{2m+1}(3), m > 3; acting on an L-orbit E of non-singular points of the natural module for L such that 1_P^G <=1_M^G where P is a stabilizer of a point in E. This result has an application to the study of minimal genera of algebraic curves which admit group actions.
A finite transitive permutation group is said to be 3/2-transitive if all the nontrivial orbits of a point stabilizer have the same size greater than 1. Examples include the 2-transitive groups, Frobenius groups and several other less obvious ones. We prove that 3/2-transitive groups are either affine or almost simple, and classify the latter. One of the main steps in the proof is an arithmetic result on the subdegrees of groups of Lie type in characteristic $p$: with some explicitly listed exceptions, every primitive action of such a group is either 2-transitive, or has a subdegree divisible …
