Related papers: Flag-transitive symmetric $2$-designs]{The symmetr…
This paper investigates block-transitive automorphism groups of t-(k^2,k,\lambda) designs. Let D be a non-trivial t-(k^2,k,\lambda) design, G \leq \Aut(D) be block-transitive with X\unlhd G\leq \Aut(X), where X = PSL(2,q)(q\geq4). Then q =…
We consider $2$-designs which admit a group of automorphisms that is flag-transitive and leaves invariant a chain of nontrivial point-partitions. We build on our recent work on $2$-designs which are block-transitive but not necessarily…
The paper is an investigation of the structure of block-transitive automorphism groups of a 3-design with small block size. Let $G$ be a block-transitive automorphism group of a nontrivial $3$-$(v,k,\lambda)$ design $\mathcal{D}$ with $k\le…
A famous result of Higman and McLaughlin \cite{HM} in 1961 asserts that any flag-transitive automorphism group $G$ of a $2$-design $\mathcal{D}$ with $\lambda=1$ acts point-primitively on $\mathcal{D}$. In this paper, we show that the…
A $3$-$(v,\{4,6\},1)$ design is a configuration of $v$ points and a collection of $4$- and $6$-element subsets called blocks, that jointly contain every 3-element subset exactly once. Using an exhaustive computer search on $v\leq 28$ points…
Let $\mathcal{D} = (\mathcal{P}, \mathcal{B})$ be a $2$-$(v, k, \lambda)$ design, and let $G$ be a half-flag-transitive automorphism group of ${\cal D}$. In this article, we first establish three sufficient conditions for $G$ to be…
It was shown in 1989 by Delandtsheer and Doyen that, for a $2$-design with $v$ points and block size $k$, a block-transitive group of automorphisms can be point-imprimitive (that is, leave invariant a nontrivial partition of the point set)…
Let $\mathcal{D}$ be a non-trivial quasi-symmetric $2$-design with two block intersection numbers $x=0$ and $2\leq y\leq10$, and suppose that $G$ is an automorphism group of $\mathcal{D}$. If $G$ is flag-transitive and point-primitive, then…
We establish the existence of simple designs with parameters $2$-$(55,10,4)$, $3$-$(20,5,4)$, $3$-$(21,7,30)$, $4$-$(15,5,2)$, $4$-$(16,8,45)$, $5$-$(16,7,10)$, and $5$-$(17,8,40)$, which have previously been unknown. For the corresponding…
Let $\mathcal{D}$ be a nontrivial $3$-$(v,k,1)$ design admitting a block-transitive group $G$ of automorphisms. A recent work of Gan and the second author asserts that $G$ is either affine or almost simple. In this paper, it is proved that…
A design is called $t$-pyramidal when it has an automorphism group which fixes $t$ points and acts sharply transitively on the remaining points. We determine all symmetric $(2^k-1,2^{k-1},2^{k-2})$-designs which are $(2^{k-1}-1)$-pyramidal…
A Steiner quadruple system of order v is a 3-(v,4,1) design, and will be denoted SQS(v). Using the classification of finite 2-transitive permutation groups all SQS(v) with a flag-transitive automorphism group are completely classified, thus…
Given an integer $k\ge3$ and a group $G$ of odd order, if there exists a $2$-$(v,k,1)$-design and if $v$ is sufficiently large, then there is such a design whose automorphism group has a subgroup isomorphic to $G$. A weaker result is proved…
The parameters 2-(36,15,6) are the smallest parameters of symmetric designs for which a complete classification up to isomorphism is yet unknown. Bouyukliev, Fack and Winne classified all 2-$(36,15,6)$ designs that admit an automorphism of…
We classify the pairwise transitive 2-designs, that is, 2-designs such that a group of automorphisms is transitive on the following five sets of ordered pairs: point-pairs, incident point-block pairs, non-incident point-block pairs,…
Among the properties of homogeneity of incidence structures flag-transitivity obviously is a particularly important and natural one. Consequently, in the last decades also flag-transitive Steiner tdesigns (i.e. flag-transitive t-(v,k,1)…
In this note, we give a precise construction of one of the families of $2$-designs arose from studying flag-transitive $2$-designs with parameters $(v,k,\lambda)$ whose replication numbers $r$ are coprime to $\lambda$. We show that for a…
If $G$ is a finite group and $k =q>2$ or $k=q+1$ for a prime power $q$ then, for infinitely many integers $v$, there is a $2$-$(v,k,1)$-design ${\bf D}$ for which ${\rm Aut} {\bf D}\cong G$.
In this paper, we show that for a non-trivial quasi-symmetric $2$-design $\mathcal{D}$ with two block intersection numbers $x=0$ and $2\leq y\leq10$, if $G\leq \mathrm{Aut}(\mathcal{D})$ is flag-transitive and point-primitive, then $G$ is…
A graph $\Gamma$ is $G$-symmetric if $G$ is a group of automorphisms of $\Gamma$ which is transitive on the set of ordered pairs of adjacent vertices of $\Gamma$. If $V(\Gamma)$ admits a nontrivial $G$-invariant partition ${\cal B}$ such…