Highly transitive representations of free groups and free products

Abstract

A permutation group is highly transitive if it is n–transitive for every positive integer n. A group G of order-preserving permutations of the rational line Q is highly order-transitive if for every α1 < … < αn and β1 < … < βn in Q there exists g ∈ G such that αig = βi, i = 1, …, n. The free group Fn(2 ≤ η ≤ אo) can be faithfully represented as a highly order-transitive group of order-preserving permutations of Q, and also (reproving a theorem of McDonough) as a highly transitive group on the natural numbers N. If G and H are nontrivial countable groups having faithful representations as groups of order-preserving permutations of Q, then their free product G * H has such a representation which in addition is highly order-transitive. If G and H are nontrivial finite or countable groups and if H has an element of infinite order, then G * H can be faithfully represented as a highly transitive group on N. Some of the representations of Fη on Q can be extended to faithful representations of the free lattice-ordered group Lη.