Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Oxford / 2023 / Prelims / Mathematics I / 7 / b (Every automorphism is inner except at degree six)

Assume first $n\ge 2$. All transpositions form a single conjugacy class $T_1$. A group automorphism preserves order of a group element, so the image of a transposition is a nonidentity involution. By the order formula, its disjoint cycle decomposition contains only one-cycles and two-cycles, with at least one two-cycle. Thus it lies in some $T_k$, where $1\le k\le \lfloor n/2\rfloor$.

Moreover an automorphism maps the entire conjugacy class onto the conjugacy class of the image: for a fixed transposition $t$,and $\varphi (g)$ runs over all of $S_n$ by surjectivity. Part (a)(i) identifies that latter conjugacy class as $T_k$. Hence $\boxed{\varphi (T_1)=T_k}$, with equality rather than just inclusion. If $n=1$, $T_1$ is empty and the equality holds trivially with $k=1$.

For $n\ge 2$ with $n\ne 6$, bijectivity of $\varphi$ and the previous part implyThe supplied numerical fact forces $k=1$. Thus $\varphi$ permutes the transpositions.

Suppose $n\ge 3$, and write $s_r=\varphi ((1r))$ for $r=2,\dots ,n$. These are distinct transpositions. For $r\ne t$, the product $(1r)(1t)$ has order of a group element three, so $s_r{s}_t$ also has order three. Two distinct transpositions have this property precisely when their two-element sets of moved points meet in one point: disjoint ones have a product of order two, whereas ones sharing one point have a three-cycle as product. The two-element support of a permutation associated with each $s_r$ therefore meets that of every other $s_t$.

We now show that they have a common point. Choose two; the support of a permutation is $\{a,b\}$ for one and $\{a,c\}$ for the other, where $a,b,c$ are distinct. Any further two-element set meeting both either contains $a$ or is $\{b,c\}$. If $\{b,c\}$ occurs, any two-element set meeting all three must itself be one of $\{a,b\},\{a,c\},\{b,c\}$: a set containing $a$ must also contain $b$ or $c$, and a set omitting $a$ must contain both $b,c$. Hence a pairwise-intersecting family with no common point consists of exactly those three edges of a triangle.

For $n\ge 5$, there are $n-1\ge 4$ distinct $s_r$, ruling out that triangle. For $n=3$, the two sets already have a common point. For $n=4$, the triangle alternative would make all three $s_r$ fix the fourth point. They would then generate a proper subgroup of $S_4$, contrary to surjectivity of $\varphi$ and part (a)(iv), which imply that the $s_r$ generate $S_4$. Thus in every case $n\ge 3$ there is a common point $a$, and we may writeThe $b_r$ are distinct and different from $a$, so they exhaust the remaining $n-1$ points. Define a permutation $\sigma$ byThenThe two group homomorphisms $\tau \mapsto \varphi (\tau )$ and $\tau \mapsto {\sigma }^{-1}\tau \sigma$ agree on a generating set of a group, so agree on every product of its elements, hence throughout $S_n$:Finally, $S_1$ is trivial and $S_2$ has a unique nonidentity element, so every automorphism of either is the identity and we can take $\sigma =e$. This completes all degrees $n\ne 6$ and proves that every such automorphism is an inner automorphism.