Base sizes for primitive groups with soluble stabilisers (Q2239243)

Let \(G\) be a finite permutation group on a set \(\Omega\) with point stabilizer \(H\). A subset of \(\Omega\) is a base for \(G\) if its pointwise stabilizer is trivial. The base size of \(G\), denoted by \(b(G,H)\), is the minimal size of a base for \(G\). Determining the base size of a group is a fundamental problem in permutation group theory with a long history and with numerous applications and connections to other areas of algebra and combinatorics (see, for example, the survey articles by \textit{M. W. Liebeck} and \textit{A. Shalev} [in: Groups, combinatorics and geometry. Proceedings of the L. M. S. Durham symposium, Durham, UK, July 16--26, 2001. River Edge, NJ: World Scientific. 147--154 (2003; Zbl 1047.20002)] and by the author [in: Local representation theory and simple groups. Extended versions of short lecture courses given during a semester programme on ``Local representation theory and simple groups'' held at the Centre Interfacultaire Bernoulli of the EPF Lausanne, Switzerland, 2016. Zürich: European Mathematical Society (EMS). 267--322 (2018; Zbl 1430.20024)]. One of main motivations for the given paper is a theorem by \textit{Á. Seress} [J. Lond. Math. Soc., II. Ser. 53, No. 2, 243--255 (1996; Zbl 0854.20004)], which states that \(b(G,H)\leq 4\) if \(G\) is soluble. In this paper, the author extends Seress's result by proving that \(b(G,H)\leq 5\) for all finite primitive permutation groups \(G\) with a soluble point stabilizer \(H\). He shows also that the bound is best possible and determines the exact base size for all finite almost simple groups. Furthemore, the author studies random bases, for example, he proves that the probability that 4 random elements in \(\Omega\) form a base trends to \(1\) as \(|G|\) trends to infinity.