On the involution fixity of exceptional groups of Lie type

Abstract

The involution fixity [Formula: see text] of a permutation group [Formula: see text] of degree [Formula: see text] is the maximum number of fixed points of an involution. In this paper we study the involution fixity of primitive almost simple exceptional groups of Lie type. We show that if [Formula: see text] is the socle of such a group, then either [Formula: see text], or [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] is a Suzuki group in its natural [Formula: see text]-transitive action of degree [Formula: see text]. This bound is best possible and we present more detailed results for each family of exceptional groups, which allows us to determine the groups with [Formula: see text]. This extends recent work of Liebeck and Shalev, who established the bound [Formula: see text] for every almost simple primitive group of degree [Formula: see text] with socle [Formula: see text] (with a prescribed list of exceptions). Finally, by combining our results with the Lang–Weil estimates from algebraic geometry, we determine bounds on a natural analogue of involution fixity for primitive actions of exceptional algebraic groups over algebraically closed fields.