Outer automorphism groups of ordered permutation groups (Q4530801)

A chain (i.e. a totally ordered set) is doubly homogeneous if any interval can be mapped onto any interval by an isomorphism of the chain. The main result of the paper is that any group is isomorphic to the outer automorphism group of the automorphism group of a doubly homogeneous chain. This result is used by \textit{M. Droste}, \textit{M. Giraudet} and \textit{R. Göbel} [J. Lond. Math. Soc., II. Ser. 64, No. 3, 565-575 (2001; Zbl 1015.20027)] to show that every group appears as outer automorphism group of some simple group. The chain is obtained by an iterative extension taking care of extending and establishing partial automorphisms of the Dedekind completion. The conjugation with these automorphisms will yield the required outer automorphisms. A crucial fact is that every automorphism of the automorphism group of a doubly homogeneous chain is conjugation by an automorphism or antiisomorphism of the Dedekind completion of the chain, see \textit{A. M. W. Glass} [Ordered permutation groups (London Mathematical Society Lecture Note Series, 55. Cambridge etc., Cambridge University Press) (1981; Zbl 0473.06010)].