Primitive permutation groups whose subdegrees are bounded above

Abstract

If $G$ is a group of permutations of a set $\Omega$ and $\alpha \in \Omega$, then the {\em $\alpha$-suborbits} of $G$ are the orbits of the stabilizer $G_\alpha$ on $\Omega$. The cardinality of an $\alpha$-suborbit is called a {\em subdegree} of $G$. If the only $G$-invariant equivalence classes on $\Omega$ are the trivial and universal relations, then $G$ is said to be a {\em primitive} group of permutations of $\Omega$. In this paper we determine the structure of all primitive permutation groups whose subdegrees are bounded above by a finite cardinal number.