Three-star permutation groups (Q1409623)

A permutation group acting on a set \(\Omega\) is called generously transitive iff for any pair of elements \(\alpha,\beta\in\Omega\) there is a \(g\in G\) interchanging \(\alpha\) and \(\beta\). \(G\) is called a three-star group iff the setwise stabilizer of any \(3\)-subset \(\Theta\) of \(\Omega\) acts non-trivially on \(\Theta\). The authors prove the following theorems: Theorem 2.1. With the exception of \(\text{Alt}(3)\) all primitive three-star transitive groups are generously transitive. Theorem 2.2. Any finite primitive three-star group has rank at most \(3\). The authors discuss also a series of interesting examples and indicate in some sense a reduction of the theory to the investigation of primitive three-star groups. It is also observed that Theorem 2.2 does not extend to infinite groups: There are infinite primitive three-star groups of arbitrary rank.