The number of set-orbits of a solvable permutation group

A permutation group 𝐺 acting on a set Ω induces a permutation action on the power set P ⁢ ( Ω ) \mathscr{P}(\Omega) (the set of all subsets of Ω). Let 𝐺 be a finite permutation group of degree 𝑛, and let s ⁢ ( G ) s(G) denote the number of orbits of 𝐺 on P ⁢ ( Ω ) \mathscr{P}(\Omega) . In this paper, we give the explicit lower bound of log 2 ⁡ s ⁢ ( G ) / log 2 ⁡ | G | \log_{2}s(G)/{\log_{2}\lvert G\rvert} over all solvable groups 𝐺. As applications, we first give an explicit bound of a result of Keller for estimating the number of conjugacy classes, and then we combine it with the McKay conjecture to estimate the number of p ′ p^{\prime} -degree irreducible representations of a solvable group.

ON THE HEIGHT AND RELATIONAL COMPLEXITY OF A FINITE PERMUTATION GROUP

Let G be a permutation group on a set $\Omega $ of size t. We say that $\Lambda \subseteq \Omega $ is an independent set if its pointwise stabilizer is not equal to the pointwise stabilizer of any proper subset of $\Lambda $ . We define the height of G to be the maximum size of an independent set, and we denote this quantity $\textrm{H}(G)$ . In this paper, we study $\textrm{H}(G)$ for the case when G is primitive. Our main result asserts that either $\textrm{H}(G)< 9\log t$ or else G is in a particular well-studied family (the primitive large–base groups). An immediate corollary of this result is a characterization of primitive permutation groups with large relational complexity, the latter quantity being a statistic introduced by Cherlin in his study of the model theory of permutation groups. We also study $\textrm{I}(G)$ , the maximum length of an irredundant base of G, in which case we prove that if G is primitive, then either $\textrm{I}(G)<7\log t$ or else, again, G is in a particular family (which includes the primitive large–base groups as well as some others).

On the involution fixity of simple groups

Let $G$ be a finite permutation group of degree $n$ and let ${\rm ifix}(G)$ be the involution fixity of $G$ , which is the maximum number of fixed points of an involution. In this paper, we study the involution fixity of almost simple primitive groups whose socle $T$ is an alternating or sporadic group; our main result classifies the groups of this form with ${\rm ifix}(T) \leqslant n^{4/9}$ . This builds on earlier work of Burness and Thomas, who studied the case where $T$ is an exceptional group of Lie type, and it strengthens the bound ${\rm ifix}(T) > n^{1/6}$ (with prescribed exceptions), which was proved by Liebeck and Shalev in 2015. A similar result for classical groups will be established in a sequel.

Subgroups of minimal index in polynomial time

By applying an old result of Y. Berkovich, we provide a polynomial-time algorithm for computing the minimal possible index of a proper subgroup of a finite permutation group [Formula: see text]. Moreover, we find that subgroup explicitly and within the same time if [Formula: see text] is given by a Cayley table. As a corollary, we get an algorithm for testing whether or not a finite permutation group acts on a tree non-trivially.

The Cycle Polynomial of a Permutation Group

The cycle polynomial of a finite permutation group $G$ is the generating function for the number of elements of $G$ with a given number of cycles:\[F_G(x) = \sum_{g\in G}x^{c(g)},\] where $c(g)$ is the number of cycles of $g$ on $\Omega$. In the first part of the paper, we develop basic properties of this polynomial, and give a number of examples. In the 1970s, Richard Stanley introduced the notion of reciprocity for pairs of combinatorial polynomials. We show that, in a considerable number of cases, there is a polynomial in the reciprocal relation to the cycle polynomial of $G$; this is the orbital chromatic polynomial of $\Gamma$ and $G$, where $\Gamma$ is a $G$-invariant graph, introduced by the first author, Jackson and Rudd. We pose the general problem of finding all such reciprocal pairs, and give a number of examples and characterisations: the latter include the cases where $\Gamma$ is a complete or null graph or a tree. The paper concludes with some comments on other polynomials associated with a permutation group.

UNDECIDABILITY AND THE DEVELOPABILITY OF PERMUTOIDS AND RIGID PSEUDOGROUPS

A permutoid is a set of partial permutations that contains the identity and is such that partial compositions, when defined, have at most one extension in the set. In 2004 Peter Cameron conjectured that there can exist no algorithm that determines whether or not a permutoid based on a finite set can be completed to a finite permutation group. In this note we prove Cameron’s conjecture by relating it to our recent work on the profinite triviality problem for finitely presented groups. We also prove that the existence problem for finite developments of rigid pseudogroups is unsolvable. In an appendix, Steinberg recasts these results in terms of inverse semigroups.

A criterion for a finite permutation group to be transitive

Let

Magic letter groups

Certain numeric puzzles, known as ‘magic letters’, each have a finite permutation group associated with them in a natural manner. We describe how the isomorphism type of these permutation groups relates to the structure of the magic letters.