Separating subsets from their images

Abstract

Let $G$ be a transitive permutation group acting on $Ω$. In this paper, we introduce and study the parameter ${\bf m}(G)$, which denotes the size of the smallest set of points $A$ such that, for every permutation $g\in G$, $A \cap A^g$ is nonempty. In particular, we focus on deriving general bounds for arbitrary transitive groups, and on the asymptotic behaviour of certain families of primitive groups. We also provide a classification of transitive groups with ${\bf m}(G)$ largest possible, namely with ${\bf m}(G)=\lceil (|Ω|+1) / 2 \rceil$.