Groups generated by derangements (Q2222003)

Jordan proved in 1872 that a finite transitive permutation group of degree \(n > 1\) must contain a derangement (an element with no fixed point). Let \(G\) be a transitive permutation group of degree \(n > 1\). Let \(D(G)\) be the (normal) subgroup of \(G\) generated by all derangements in \(G\). It was proved by \textit{H. Zantema} [Manuscr. Math. 40, 155--203 (1982; Zbl 0505.12003)] that \(D(G)\) is transitive and it contains every element of \(G\) whose number of fixed points is different from \(1\). In the present paper, the authors extend these ideas to show that if \(r_G\) and \(r_{D(G)}\) denote the permutation ranks of \(G\) and \(D(G)\) respectively then \(r_{D(G)} - 1 = (r_{G}-1) |G:D(G)|\). In Theorem 1.1 they also show that the \(D(G)\)-orbits on ordered pairs of distinct elements are permuted semiregularly by \(G/D(G)\). Observe that any Frobenius group \(G\) gives an example where \(D(G) \not= G\) since \(D(G)\) is the Frobenius kernel and \(G/D(G)\) is isomorphic to the Frobenius complement. Corollary 1.2 states that if \(G\) is any transitive permutation group of degree \(n > 1\) then \(|G:D(G)|\) divides \(n-1\) and equality is possible if and only if \(n\) is a prime power. Corollary 1.3 continues to investigate the situation when \(D(G) \not= G\) by establishing that in this case if \(H\) is a point stabilizer acting on the remaining points then at least half of the elements of \(H\) are derangements, in particular, \(D(H) = H\). Theorems 1.4 and 1.5 concern stronger upper bounds on the index of \(D(G)\) in \(G\) as that of Corollary 1.2. It is proved that if \(G\) is any transitive imprimitive permutation group of degree \(n\), then \(|G:D(G)| \leq \sqrt{n}-1\) and equality is possible if \(n\) is an even power of a prime. Moreover, if \(G\) is a primitive permutation group of degree \(n\) which is not of affine type, then \(|G:D(G)| \leq \sqrt{n}-1\). It is then conjectured that if \(G\) is a primitive permutation group of degree \(n\) which is not a Frobenius group, then \(|G:D(G)| \leq \sqrt{n}-1\), moreover this bound is attained only if \(G\) is an affine group. The only remaining case of Conjecture 1 is when \(G\) is an affine primitive permutation group. In the affine case the conjecture is translated to an equivalent form regarding the index \(|H:R(H)|\) where \(H\) is a linear group on a finite vector space and \(R(H)\) is the subgroup of \(H\) generated by elements having eigenvalue \(1\). An interesting question in the paper is the following. Which groups can arise as \(G/D(G)\) for some transitive permutation group \(G\)?