Transitive extensions of imprimitive groups (Q1923500)

If \(R\) is an equivalence relation on a set \(X\), then \(G\leq\text{Sym}(X)\) is an \(R\)-permutation group if it maps \(R\)-classes to \(R\)-classes, and is \(t\)-\(R\)-transitive if it is transitive on the set of \(t\)-tuples of \(R\)-inequivalent elements. Suppose that \(G\) is an \(R\)-permutation group on \(X\), and \(X_\infty\cap X=\emptyset\) and \(\infty\in X_\infty\), and put \(\overline X=X\cup X_\infty\). Let \(\overline R\) be the equivalence relation on \(\overline X\) whose classes are \(X_\infty\) and the \(R\)-classes of \(X\), and let \(\overline G\) be an \(\overline R\)-permutation group on \(\overline X\). Then \(\overline G\) is a transitive extension of \(G\) if \(\overline G\) is transitive on \(\overline X\) and \(\overline G_{X_\infty}\) (the setwise stabiliser of \(X_\infty\)) is equal to \(H\overline G_\infty\) where \(H\leq\overline G\) is sharply transitive on \(\overline X_\infty\) and \(\overline G_\infty\) acts like \(G\) on \(X\). The author gives a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of a transitive extension of a \(t\)-\(R\)-transitive permutation group (for any \(t\geq 2\)). This is analogous to the well-known result of Witt. As an application, the author shows that if \(A\) is a commutative local ring, then the action of \(\text{PGL}_2(A)\) on the projective line \(\text{PG}_1(A)\) can be regarded as a transitive extension of the action of \(\text{AGL}_1(A)\) on \(A\) (which itself can be regarded as a transitive extension).