The distinguishing number of the direct product and wreath product action. (Q2509195)

The author considers a rather unusual property of permutation groups and what happens for the special cases of wreath product and direct product actions. The property concerns the `distinguishing number' of a permutation group \(G\) acting on a set \(X\). This is defined in terms of a `colouring' of a set which is a function from the set being permuted into the set \(\{1,2,\dots,r\}\) for some natural number \(r\). The distinguishing number \(D_G(X)\) is the smallest \(r\) such that only the identity element of \(G\) preserves the colouring; note if no such number exists then \(D_G(X)\) is defined to be \(\infty\). The author has considered what happens for some classes of groups in an earlier paper, [Electron. J. Comb. 13, No. 1, R70 (2006; Zbl 1096.05053)]. The idea comes from a problem in graph theory which was given an alternative format as a question in group theory by \textit{J. Tymoczko} [Electron. J. Comb. 11, No. 1, R63 (2004; Zbl 1058.05038)]. In this paper the author considers two permutation groups \(G\) and \(H\) acting on \(X\), \(Y\), respectively. She then asks what happens if we consider the wreath product and direct product actions. In the first case the author answers the question completely. The author answers the second question in the special case that the groups are the symmetric groups of degrees \(m\) and \(n\), respectively. The result is ingenious and somewhat surprising.