Rational permutation groups containing a full cycle

Let λ ≤ κ be infinite cardinals and let Ω be a set of cardinality κ. The bounded permutation group Bλ(Ω), or simply Bλ, is the group consisting of all permutations of Ω which move fewer than λ points in Ω. We say that a permutation group G acting on Ω is a supplement of Bλ if BλG is the full symmetric group on Ω.In [7], Macpherson and Neumann claimed to have classified all supplements of bounded permutation groups. Specifically, they claimed to have proved that a group G acting on the set Ω is a supplement of Bλ if and only if there exists Δ ⊂ Ω with ∣Δ∣ < λ such that the setwise stabiliser G{Δ} acts as the full symmetric group on Ω ∖ Δ. However I have found a mistake in their proof. The aim of this paper is to examine conditions under which Macpherson and Neumann's claim holds, as well as conditions under which a counterexample can be constructed. In the process we will discover surprising links with cardinal arithmetic and Shelah's recently developed pcf theory.

Let G be a permutation group of degree m. Let x be an irreducible complex character of G. If A = (aij) is an m-square matrix, the generalised matrix function of A based on G and x is defined byFor example if G = Sm, the full symmetric group, and x is the alternating character, then d = determinant. If G = Sm and x is identically 1, then d = permanent.

For an irreducible complex character χ of a finite group G, its codegree is defined as . The main focus of this paper is to provide a classification of finite groups where distinct nonlinear irreducible characters have distinct codegrees.

The Galois/monodromy group of a family of geometric problems or equations is a subtle invariant that encodes the structure of the solutions. We give numerical methods to compute the Galois group and study it when it is not the full symmetric group. One algorithm computes generators, while the other studies its structure as a permutation group. We illustrate these algorithms with examples using a Macaulay2 package we are developing that relies upon Bertini to perform monodromy computations.

Let $G$ be a finite group with center $Z$8 and irreducible complex character $x$ so that $x{(1)^2} = [G:Z]$, If the $2$-Sylow subgroup of $G/Z$ has order 16 or less then $G$ is solvable.

Rank 3 extensions of Frobenius groups

Monodromy of rational curves on K3 surfaces of low genus

The workshop Permutation groups organised by Robert Guralnick (Southern California), Cheryl Praeger (Western Australia), Jan Saxl (Cambridge) and Katrin Tent (Bielefeld) was held August 5th–11th, 2007. The focus was recent developments in permutation group theory and their influence on, and from, group representation theory, algebraic graph theory and other areas of geometry and combinatorics, algebraic geometry, model theory and infinite symmetrical structures. It was well attended with 50 participants. Especially valuable was the program to support young researchers which gave the opportunity for a considerable number of young mathematicians to participate in the workshop. They benefited from the ‘Oberwolfach experience’ and also enlivened and contributed enormously to the success of the meeting. The workshop had a friendly and vibrant atmosphere, aided by the excellent facilities of the Institute. All participants appreciated the beautiful lecture by John G. Thompson entitled ‘The divisor matrix and {\rm SL}(2,\Z) ’. (In fact, this meeting was the first Oberwolfach workshop in over twenty years that Thompson had attended.) There were 26 other talks, and the program featured in each of the first five sessions at least one talk by a student or young researcher at the beginning of their career. This facilitated interaction between younger and more established researchers. The number of talks was restricted to give plenty of time for discussion and cooperation among the participants. Other communications were presented as posters. Highlights of the workshop addressed both fundamental permutation group theory, and also significant outcomes from applying permutation group theory and methods in combinatorics, model theory and other areas. Some topics arose in more than one context, forming new connections. A common feature of many contributions was application of the finite simple group classification, or new results on the structure of simple groups. As examples, we mention two highlights reported by early career participants. The question of base size of permutation actions is of importance in computational group theory as well as in the study of the graph isomorphism problem. Recent research has thrown much light on the base sizes of actions of almost simple groups in particular. Burness reported on the very recent proof of a conjecture of Cameron and Kantor dating from 1993 concerning non-standard permutation actions of almost simple groups: these are all primitive actions apart from actions of alternating and symmetric groups on subsets or partitions, and of classical groups on subspaces or pairs of complementary subspaces. In all the latter families the minimum base size is unbounded as the group order increases. The somewhat surprising conjecture, now proved, is that the minimum base size of non-standard permutation groups is at most 7, with the unique example where this bound is attained being the Mathieu group M_{24} in its natural action on 24 points. Expander graphs play an important role in computer science and combinatorics, and, for example, are significant in modelling and analysing communication networks. In particular, their diameters grow only logarithmically with the numbers of vertices. This property on diameters was proved in 1989 by Babai, Kantor and Lubotzky to hold for suitable Cayley graphs of simple groups: specifically for each finite nonabelian simple group G , they constructed a valency 7 Cayley graph for G with diameter at most a constant times \log(|G|) . Although their graphs were not expanders, they conjectured that there exists an absolute constant k such that all infinite families of simple groups give rise to families of valency k Cayley graphs that are expanders. Kassabov lectured on amazing progress towards proving this conjecture – it is now proved for all simple groups apart from the Suzuki groups. It was a very happy and successful workshop. Indeed, several of the most distinguished participants commented that this was one of the best Oberwolfach meetings they had attended, with plenty of time for collaboration, and outstanding talks. Extended abstracts of the talks mentioned, as well as all the others, are given below (in the order in which they were presented).

Squares of characters and finite groups

Association schemes and permutation groups

Let X and Y be infinite cardinal numbers, S(X) the full symmetric group on a set of cardinal X, A (X) the alternating group of finite even permutations on the same set, and S(X, Y) the subgroup of S(X) of all permutations moving fewer than Y elements. A semi-automorphism of a group G is a permutation T of G such that (xyx)T= (xT)(yT)(xT) for all x, yEG. Semi-isomorphism is defined similarly. Dinkines [1] and Herstein and Ruchte [2] showed that any semi-automorphism of S(X, Y) or A (X) was either the restriction T of an inner automorphism of S(X), or was of the form T(-I) where x(-I) =x-1 for all x. Theorem 11.4.6 of [3] states that every automorphism of any group G such that A (X)CGCS(X) is the restriction of an inner automorphism of S(X). In the present paper, we prove the common generalization of these two theorems whose statement is obvious. (See the corollary at the end.)

Let G be a finite group and Irr(G) be the set of irreducible (complex) characters of G. Let χ ∈ Irr(G) and write cod(χ) = |G : ker χ|/χ(1) as the codegree of χ, where ker χ is the kernel of χ. Denote by the intersection of the kernels of all the monolithic, monomial irreducible characters of a p-solvable group G with codegrees divisible by a prime p. We prove in this note that has a normal p-complement, and then the theorem in [2] is generalized. Also, we prove that about the theorem in [2] more is true.

The structure of the commutator subgroup of Sylow 2-subgroups of an alternating group A 2 k is determined. This work continues the previous investigations of me, where minimal generating sets for Sylow 2-subgroups of alternating groups were constructed. Here we study the commutator subgroup of these groups. The minimal generating set of the commutator subgroup of A 2 k is constructed. It is shown that ( S y l 2 A 2 k ) 2 = S y l 2 ′ A 2 k , k > 2 . It serves to solve quadratic equations in this group, as were solved by Lysenok I. in the Grigorchuk group. It is proved that the commutator length of an arbitrary element of the iterated wreath product of cyclic groups C p i , p i ∈ N equals to 1. The commutator width of direct limit of wreath product of cyclic groups is found. Upper bounds for the commutator width ( c w ( G ) ) of a wreath product of groups are presented in this paper. A presentation in form of wreath recursion of Sylow 2-subgroups S y l 2 ( A 2 k ) of A 2 k is introduced. As a result, a short proof that the commutator width is equal to 1 for Sylow 2-subgroups of alternating group A 2 k , where k > 2 , the permutation group S 2 k , as well as Sylow p-subgroups of S y l 2 A p k as well as S y l 2 S p k ) are equal to 1 was obtained. A commutator width of permutational wreath product B ≀ C n is investigated. An upper bound of the commutator width of permutational wreath product B ≀ C n for an arbitrary group B is found. The size of a minimal generating set for the commutator subgroup of Sylow 2-subgroup of the alternating group is found. The proofs were assisted by the computer algebra system GAP.

We give a new characterization of primitive permutation groups tied to the notion of completely reachable automata. Also, we introduce sync-maximal permutation groups tied to the state complexity of the set of synchronizing words of certain associated automata and show that they are contained between the 2-homogeneous and the primitive groups. Lastly, we define k-reachable groups in analogy with synchronizing groups and motivated by our characterization of primitive permutation groups. But the results show that a k-reachable permutation group of degree n with \(6 \le k \le n - 6\) is either the alternating or the symmetric group.

On the tensor product of permutation modules