Transitive permutation groups with trivial four point stabilizers. (Q500210)

In an earlier paper [J. Pure Appl. Algebra 219, No. 4, 729-759 (2015; Zbl 1312.20001)] the authors considered finite nonregular transitive permutation groups whose nontrivial elements have at most two fixed points, and completely classified the simple groups with this property. In the present paper they extend their work to transitive groups whose nontrivial elements have at most three fixed points. Let \(G\) be a finite transitive permutation group whose \(4\)-point stabilizers are trivial, but not all \(3\)-point stabilizers are trivial. If \(G\) is simple, then it is shown that: (i) if its \(1\)-point stabilizers are not cyclic, then \(G\) is isomorphic to an alternating group \(A_5\), \(A_6\) or \(A_7\), or to \(\mathrm{PSL}_2(7)\), \(\mathrm{PSL}_2(11)\) or the Matthieu group \(M_{11}\); and (ii) if its \(1\)-point stabilizers are cyclic then \(G\) is isomorphic to one of \(\mathrm{PSL}_3(q)\), \(\mathrm{PSU}_3(q)\), \(\mathrm{PSL}_4(3)\), \(\mathrm{PSU}_4(3)\), \(\mathrm{PSL}_4(5)\), \(A_8\), \(A_9\) or \(M_{22}\). On the other hand, if \(G\) is almost simple but not simple, then \(G\) is isomorphic to \(\Aut(\mathrm{SL}_2(2^p))\) for some prime \(p\), or to \(\mathrm{PGL}_3(q)\) or \(\mathrm{PGU}_3(q)\) where \(q\) is a prime power with \(3\mid q-1\). In each case the structure of \(G\) is given more precisely. A further theorem provides general information about the structure of a transitive permutation group whose \(4\)-point stabilizers are trivial without the assumption that the group is simple or almost simple.