Generating groups using hypergraphs

DOI10.1093/QMATH/HAW001MaRDI QIDQ2794437zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors Nick Gill, Neil I. Gillespie, Anthony Nixon, Jason Semeraro

Publication date 10 March 2016

Published in The Quarterly Journal of Mathematics (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1405.1701, https://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/id/eprint/78569/1/gen.pdf

zbMATH Keywords

15-puzzleblock designhypergraphMathieu grouppartial groupprojective plane

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Combinatorial aspects of block designs (05B05) Combinatorial aspects of finite geometries (05B25) Hypergraphs (05C65) Multiply transitive finite groups (20B20) Finite automorphism groups of algebraic, geometric, or combinatorial structures (20B25) Simple groups: sporadic groups (20D08) Combinatorial structures in finite projective spaces (51E20) Combinatorial codes (94B25)

Abstract: To a set $mathcalB$ of 4-subsets of a set $Omega$ of size $n$ we introduce an invariant called the `hole stabilizer' which generalises a construction of Conway, Elkies and Martin of the Mathieu group $M_{12}$ based on Loyd's `15-puzzle'. It is shown that hole stabilizers may be regarded as objects inside an objective partial group (in the sense of Chermak). We classify pairs $(Omega,mathcalB)$ with a trivial hole stabilizer, and determine all hole stabilizers associated to $2$-$(n,4,lambda)$ designs with $lambdaleq2$.

Review text

Some years ago, \textit{J. H. Conway} et al. [Exp. Math. 15, No. 2, 223--236 (2006; Zbl 1112.20003)] studied a construction by \textit{J. H. Conway} [Lond. Math. Soc. Lect. Note Ser. 241, 1--11 (1997; Zbl 0887.05002)] for the Mathieu group M\(_{12}\), reminiscent of the classic \(15\)-puzzle played with tiles on a \(4 \times 4\) grid. In this construction, the grid was replaced by the projective plane P\(_3\), and the \(15\) tiles replaced by \(12\) counters which sit on all but one of the \(13\) points of P\(_3\).NEWLINENEWLINEIn the current paper, the authors develop and analyse a generalisation of this structure, replacing P\(_3\) by a \(4\)-hypergraph, that is, by a pair \({\mathcal D} = (\Omega, {\mathcal B})\), where \(\Omega\) is a finite set and \({\mathcal B}\) is a finite multiset of subsets of \(\Omega\) of size 4. The subset of Sym\((\Omega)\) consisting of all move sequences for the resulting puzzle has the structure of a partial group (in the sense of \textit{A. Chermak} [Acta Math. 211, No. 1, 47--139 (2013; Zbl 1295.20021)]). The authors also give some applications for \(2\)-\((n,4,\lambda)\) designs, and a number of open questions and avenues for future work.

Recommendations

• Conway's groupoid and its relatives
• Conway groupoids and completely transitive codes
• Conway groupoids, regular two-graphs and supersimple designs
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 278884
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 3973127

Cited in

(9)

• Generating hinges from arbitrary subhypergraphs
• Conway groupoids, regular two-graphs and supersimple designs
• Depth and symmetry in Conway's \(M_{13}\) puzzle.
• The Mathieu GroupM₁₂and Its Pseudogroup ExtensionM₁₃
• Friends and strangers walking on graphs
• Characters and Brauer trees of the covering group of \({{}^2E_6(2)}\)
• Conway's groupoid and its relatives
• Path partial groups
• Conway groupoids and completely transitive codes

This page was built for publication: Generating groups using hypergraphs

Report a bug (only for logged in users!)Click here to report a bug for this page (MaRDI item Q2794437)