On primitive permutation groups with nontrivial global stabilizers

In the paper the distinguishing number D(G) of an arbitrary finite primitive permutation group G is determined. As a consequence, the distinguishing number D(Г) of an arbitrary finite graph Г with a vertex-primitive group of automorphisms is found.     

One point stabilizers in almost simple sharp permutation groups

In this work we consider primitive sharp permutation groups of type ({0,l}, n). According to a previous result of the author, either the structure of such a group (as well as the associated action) is completely determined, or the group is almost simple. We investigate the viability of the almost simple case, develope additional restrictions on the structure of one point stabilizers, and give some indication of a strategy for a proof that there are no almost simple, primitive sharp permutation groups of type ({0l}n).     

Sets which are almost starshaped

A nonempty setS in a real topological linear spaceL is said to be quasi-starshaped if and only if there is some pointq in clS such that the subset of points ofS visible viaS fromq is everywhwere dense inS and contains intS, and the set of all such pointsq is called the quasi-kernel ofS and denoted by qkerS. It is proved that forS connected with slncS nonempty {conv Â_z:z slncS} qkerS, where slncS denotes the set of strong local nonconvexity points ofS and Â_z={s clS:z is clearly visible froms via S}. Familiar procedures generate then the Krasnosel'skii-type characterizations for the dimension of the quasi-kernel ofS. This contributes to an open problem.Jakub Oswald gewidmet     

Doubly transitive permutation groups with abelian stabilizers

Summary We prove that any doubly transitive permutation group with abelian stabilizers is the group of linear functions over a suitable field. The result is not new: for finite groups it is well known, for infinite groups it follows from a more general theorem of W. Kerby and H. Wefelscheid on sharply doubly transitive groups in which the stabilizers have finite commutator subgroups. We give a direct and elementary proof.     

Transitive permutation groups in which all derangements are involutions

Let G be a transitive permutation group in which all derangements are involutions. We prove that G is either an elementary abelian 2-group or is a Frobenius group having an elementary abelian 2-group as kernel. We also consider the analogous problem for abstract groups, and we classify groups G with a proper subgroup H such that every element of G not conjugate to an element of H is an involution.     

On almost complex structures which are not compatible with symplectic forms

In this Note we prove that the underlying almost complex structure to a non-Kähler almost Hermitian structure admitting a compatible connection with skew-symmetric torsion cannot be calibrated by a symplectic form even locally.     

Coprime subdegrees for primitive permutation groups and completely reducible linear groups

In this paper we answer a question of Gabriel Navarro about orbit sizes of a finite linear group H ? GL(V) acting completely reducibly on a vector space V: if the H-orbits containing the vectors a and b have coprime lengths m and n, we prove that the H-orbit containing a + b has length mn. Such groups H are always reducible if n,m > 1. In fact, if H is an irreducible linear group, we show that, for every pair of non-zero vectors, their orbit lengths have a non-trivial common factor. In the more general context of finite primitive permutation groups G, we show that coprime non-identity subdegrees are possible if and only if G is of O’Nan-Scott type AS, PA or TW. In a forthcoming paper we will show that, for a finite primitive permutation group, a set of pairwise coprime subdegrees has size at most 2. Finally, as an application of our results, we prove that a field has at most 2 finite extensions of pairwise coprime indices with the same normal closure.     

Fibered incidence groups which are not kinematic

An incidence space \((\beta ,\mathfrak{L})\) which is obtained from an affine space \((\beta _a ,\mathfrak{L}_a )\) by omitting a hyperplane is calledstripe space. If \((\beta _a ,\mathfrak{L}_a )\) is desarguesian, then \(\beta \) can be provided with a group operation “ ○ ” such that \((\beta ,\mathfrak{L}, \circ )\) becomes a kinematic space calledstripe group. It will be shown that there are stripe groups \((\beta ,\mathfrak{L}, \circ )\) where the incidence structure \(\mathfrak{L}\) can be replaced by another incidence structure ? such that \((\beta ,\Re , \circ )\) is afibered incidence group which is not kinematic. An application on translation planes concerning the group of affinities is also given.     

Actions of almost simple groups on compact eight-dimensional projective planes are classical,almost

We show that the existence of an almost simple group of automorphisms of dimension greater than 10 characterizes the Hughes planes (including the quarternion plane) among the 8-dimensional compact projective planes.Dedicated to Prof. Helmut R. Salzmann on his 65th birthday     

On strictly ergodic models which are not almost topologically conjugate

Answering a question raised by Glasner and Rudolph (1984) we construct uncountably many strictly ergodic topological systems which are metrically isomorphic to a given ergodic system (X, ℬ,μ, T) but not almost topologically conjugate to it. This paper is part of the second author’s Ph.D. thesis, written under the supervision of Professor A. Bellow of the Department of Mathematics, Northwestern University. The author is grateful for her encouragement and advice. We acknowledge B. Weiss for helpful comments.     

Torsion units for some almost simple groups

We investigate the Zassenhaus conjecture regarding rational conjugacy of torsion units in integral group rings for certain automorphism groups of simple groups. Recently, many new restrictions on partial augmentations for torsion units of integral group rings have improved the effectiveness of the Luther-Passi method for verifying the Zassenhaus conjecture for certain groups. We prove that the Zassenhaus conjecture is true for the automorphism group of the simple group PSL(2, 11). Additionally we prove that the Prime graph question is true for the automorphism group of the simple group PSL(2, 13).     

An upper bound for the order of primitive permutation groups

Let G be a primitive permutation group of order |G| and degree n. Then |G|≤nd^m, where d is the minimal size of a nontrivial orbit of a one-point stabilizer of G and m is the minimal degree of a nonprincipal irreducible representation of G entering its permutation representation. Bibliography: 8 titles. Dedicated to L. D. Faddeev on occasion of his 60th birthday Translated fromZapiski Nauchnykh Seminarov POMI, Vol. 215, 1994, pp. 256–263. Translated by I. Ponomarenko.     

Finite-dimensional pointed Hopf algebras with alternating groups are trivial

It is shown that Nichols algebras over alternating groups \mathbb A_m{\mathbb A_m} (m ≥ 5) are infinite dimensional. This proves that any complex finite dimensional pointed Hopf algebra with group of group-likes isomorphic to \mathbb A_m{\mathbb A_m} is isomorphic to the group algebra. In a similar fashion, it is shown that the Nichols algebras over the symmetric groups \mathbb S_m{\mathbb S_m} are all infinite-dimensional, except maybe those related to the transpositions considered in Fomin and Kirillov (Progr Math 172:146–182, 1999), and the class of type (2, 3) in \mathbb S₅{\mathbb S_5}. We also show that any simple rack X arising from a symmetric group, with the exception of a small list, collapse, in the sense that the Nichols algebra \mathfrak B(X, q){\mathfrak B(X, \bf q)} is infinite dimensional, q an arbitrary cocycle.     

Finite almost simple groups with prime graphs all of whose connected components are cliques

We find finite almost simple groups with prime graphs all of whose connected components are cliques, i.e., complete graphs. The proof is based on the following fact, which was obtained by the authors and is of independent interest: the prime graph of a finite simple nonabelian group contains two nonadjacent odd vertices that do not divide the order of the outer automorphism group of this group.     

Large semisimple groups on 16-dimensional compact projective planes are almost simple

The paper deals with the so-called Salzmann program aiming to classify special geometries according to their automorphism groups. Here, topological connected compact projective planes are considered. If finite-dimensional, such planes are of dimension 2, 4, 8, or 16. The classical example of a 16-dimensional, compact projective plane is the projective plane over the octonions with 78-dimensional automorphism group E₆(?26). A 16-dimensional, compact projective plane P admitting an automorphism group of dimension 41 or more is classical, [18] 87.5 and 87.7. For the special case of a semisimple group Δ acting on P the same result can be obtained if dim δ ≧ 37, see [16]. Our aim is to lower this bound. We show: if Δ is semisimple and dim δ ≧ 29, then P is either classical or a Moufang-Hughes plane or Δ is isomorphic to Spin₉ (?, r), r ∈ {0, 1 }. The underlying paper contains the first part of the proof showing that Δ is in fact almost simple.