Regular orbits of sporadic simple groups (Q1712471)

Let \(G\) be a group acting faithfully on a set \(\Omega\). A base for \(G\) is a subset \(B\) of \(\Omega\) such that the identity of \(X\) is the only element of \(G\) which fixes \(B\) elementwise. The base size \(b(G)\) of \(G\) is the minimal cardinality of a base for \(G\). Given a finite group \(G\), a field \(F\) and a faithful \(FG\)-module \(V\), we say that \(G\) has a regular orbit on \(V\) if \(\{v\}\) is a base for \(G\). In this paper, the authors consider the case \(F=\mathbb F_p\), \(G/Z(G)\) is a sporadic simple group of order divisible by \(p\), and \(V\) is a faithful irreducible \(\mathbb F_pG\)-module. They also study the covering groups of the automorphism groups of the sporadic groups. For the groups \(G\) with no regular orbit on \(V\), they determine the base size of \(G\). Their first main result classifies all the situations in which \(G\) has no regular orbit on \(V\) when \(G\) is a covering group of an almost simple group whose socle is sporadic, and \(V\) is a faithful irreducible \(\mathbb F_pG\)-module, with \(p\) dividing the order of \(G\). They list these cases in a table in terms of the tuples \((G,p,\dim_{\mathbb F_p}(V),b(G))\). A finite primitive permutation group \(X\) is of affine type if its socle \(V\) is an \(\mathbb F_p\)-vector space for some prime \(p\). In this case, if \(G\) is the stabiliser of \(0\in V\), then \(X=V:G\), with \(V\) a faithful irreducible \(\mathbb F_pG\)-module and \(b(X)=b(G)+1\). As a consequence of the above result, the authors determine all triples \((G,p,d)\) when \(G\) is a covering group of an almost simple group whose socle is sporadic and \(b(X)>2\). In particular, they observe that in such cases \(b(X)\leq4\). The second main result of the article concerns a question of generation. Let \(G\) be an almost simple group with socle \(T\), and for each non-trivial element \(g\) of \(G\), define \(r(g)\) to be the minimal number of \(T\)-conjugates of \(G\) that generate \(\langle T,g\rangle\), and let \(r(G)=\max\{r(g) : g\in G\setminus\{1\}\}\). The upper bounds on \(r(G)\) for \(T\) sporadic were found in [\textit{R. M. Guralnick} and \textit{J. Saxl}, J. Algebra 268, No. 2, 519--571 (2003; Zbl 1037.20016)]. In the present article, the authors calculate the exact values of \(r(G)\) for \(G\) an almost simple group whose socle is sporadic. They show that if \(1\neq g\in G\), then, either \(g^2=1\) and \(r(g)=3\), or \(g^2\neq1\) and \(r(g)=2\), or the class name of \(g\) belongs to an explicit list of exceptions.