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The existential transversal property: a generalization of homogeneity and its impact on semigroups
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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Let G be a permutation group of degree n, and k a positive integer with k ≤ n. We say that G has the k-existential transversal property, or k-et, if there exists a k-subset A (of the domain Ω) whose orbit un-
der G contains transversals for all k-partitions P of Ω. This property is a substantial weakening of the k-universal transversal property, or k-ut, investigated by the first and third author, which required this
condition to hold for all k-subsets A of the domain Ω.
Our first task in this paper is to investigate the k-et property and to decide which groups satisfy it. For example, it is known that for k < 6 there are several families of k-transitive groups, but for k ≥ 6 the only ones are alternating or symmetric groups; here we show that in the k-et context the threshold is 8, that is, for 8 ≤ k ≤ n/2, the only transitive groups with k-et are the symmetric and alternating groups; this is best possible since the Mathieu group M24 (degree 24) has 7-et. We determine all groups with k-et for 4 ≤ k ≤ n/2, up to some unresolved cases for k = 4, 5, and describe the property for k = 2, 3 in permutation group language. These considerations essentially answer Problem 5 proposed in the paper on k-ut referred to above; we also slightly improve the classification of groups possessing the k-ut property.
In that earlier paper, the results were applied to semigroups, in particular, to the question of when the semigroup 〈G, t〉 is regular, where t is a map of rank k (with k < n/2); this turned out to be
equivalent to the k-ut property. The question investigated here is when there is a k-subset A of the domain such that 〈G, t〉 is regular for all maps t with image A. This turns out to be much more delicate; the k-et property (with A as witnessing set) is a necessary condition, and the combination of k-et and (k − 1)-ut is sufficient, but the truth lies somewhere between.
Given the knowledge that a group under consideration has the necessary condition of k-et, the regularity question for k ≤ n/2 is solved except for one sporadic group.
The paper ends with a number of problems on combinatorics, permutation groups and transformation semigroups, and their linear analogues.
Description
Preprint de J. Araújo, W. Bentz, and P.J. Cameron, “The Existential Transversal Property: A Generalization of Homogeneity and its Impact on Semigroups”, Transactions of the American Mathematical Society 374 (2021), 1155–1195.
Keywords
Transformation semigroups Regular semigroups Permutation groups Primitive groups Homogeneous groups
Pedagogical Context
Citation
J. Araújo, W. Bentz, and P.J. Cameron, “The Existential Transversal Property: A Generalization of Homogeneity and its Impact on Semigroups”, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 374 (2021), 1155-1195.
Publisher
American Mathematical Society