Related papers: Pre-primitive permutation groups
A classification is given of rank 3 group actions which are quasiprimitive but not primitive. There are two infinite families and a finite number of individual imprimitive examples. When combined with earlier work of Bannai, Kantor,…
The distinguishing number of $G \leqslant \sym(\Omega)$ is the smallest size of a partition of $\Omega$ such that only the identity of $G$ fixes all the parts of the partition. Extending earlier results of Cameron, Neumann, Saxl and Seress…
The first main result of this paper is that a finite transitive nonabelian characteristically simple subgroup of a wreath product in product action must lie in the base group of the wreath product. This allows us to characterize nonabelian…
Let $G$ be a finite non-regular primitive permutation group on a set $\Omega$ with point stabiliser $G_{\alpha}$. Then $G$ is said to be extremely primitive if $G_{\alpha}$ acts primitively on each of its orbits in $\Omega \setminus…
Let $\Omega$ be a set of cardinality $n$, $G$ a permutation group on $\Omega$, and $f:\Omega\to\Omega$ a map which is not a permutation. We say that $G$ \emph{synchronizes} $f$ if the transformation semigroup $\langle G,f\rangle$ contains a…
This paper classifies quasiprimitive permutation groups with a transitive subgroup which is isomorphic to $\A_n$ for some $n\geqslant5$.
Let $G$ be a permutation group, and denote with $\mu(G)$ and $b(G)$ its minimal degree and base size respectively. We show that for every $\varepsilon>0$, there exists a transitive permutation group $G$ of degree $n$ with \[ \mu(G)b(G) \geq…
Let $\Gamma$ be a connected $G$-vertex-transitive graph, let $v$ be a vertex of $\Gamma$ and let $L=G_v^{\Gamma(v)}$ be the permutation group induced by the action of the vertex-stabiliser $G_v$ on the neighbourhood $\Gamma(v)$. Then…
A semiregular permutation group on a set $\Ome$ is called {\em bi-regular} if it has two orbits. A classification is given of quasiprimitive permutation groups with a biregular dihedral subgroup. This is then used to characterize the family…
Let $G$ be a transitive permutation group acting on $\Omega$. In this paper, we introduce and study the parameter ${\bf m}(G)$, which denotes the size of the smallest set of points $A$ such that, for every permutation $g\in G$, $A \cap A^g$…
Let $G$ be a nontrivial transitive permutation group on a finite set $\Omega$ and recall that an element of $G$ is a derangement if it has no fixed points. Derangements always exist by a classical theorem of Jordan, but there are so-called…
The goal of this paper is to study primitive groups that are contained in the union of maximal (in the symmetric group) imprimitive groups. The study of types of permutations that appear inside primitive groups goes back to the origins of…
This paper introduces the notion of orbit coherence in a permutation group. Let $G$ be a group of permutations of a set $\Omega$. Let $\pi(G)$ be the set of partitions of $\Omega$ which arise as the orbit partition of an element of $G$. The…
Let $\Omega=\{1,2,...,n\}$ where $n \ge 2$. The {\em shape} of an ordered set partition $P=(P_1,..., P_k)$ of $\Omega$ is the integer partition $\lambda=(\lambda_1,...,\lambda_k)$ defined by $\lambda_i = |P_i|$. Let G be a group of…
Let $G$ be a transitive permutation group acting on a finite set $\Omega$ with $|\Omega|\geqslant 2$. An element of $G$ is said to be a derangement if it has no fixed points on $\Omega$, and by a theorem of Jordan from 1872, $G$ always…
We conjecture that if $G$ is a finite primitive group and if $g$ is an element of $G$, then either the element $g$ has a cycle of length equal to its order, or for some $r,m$ and $k$, the group $G\leq S_m\wr S_r$, preserving a product…
Let $G$ be a finite solvable permutation group acting faithfully and primitively on a finite set $\Omega$. Let $G_0$ be the stabilizer of a point $\alpha \in \Omega$ The rank of $G$ is defined as the number of orbits of $G_0$ in $\Omega$,…
A group $G$ of permutations of a set $\Omega$ is {\em primitive} if it acts transitively on $\Omega$, and the only $G$-invariant equivalence relations on $\Omega$ are the trivial and universal relations. A graph $\Gamma$ is {\em primitive}…
For each finite classical group $G$, we classify the subgroups of $G$ which act transitively on a $G$-invariant set of subspaces of the natural module, where the subspaces are either totally isotropic or nondegenerate. Our proof uses the…
Let $G$ be a transitive normal subgroup of a permutation group $A$ of finite degree $n$. The factor group $A/G$ can be considered as a certain Galois group and one would like to bound its size. One of the results of the paper is that $|A/G|…