Totally Symmetric Sets in the General Linear Group

Abstract

A totally symmetric set is a finite subset of a group for which any permutation of the elements can be realized by conjugation in the ambient group. Such sets are rigid under homomorphisms, and so exert a great deal of control over the algebraic structure. In this paper we introduce a more general perspective on total symmetry and formulate a notion of “irreducibility” for totally symmetric sets in the general linear group. We classify irreducible totally symmetric sets, as well as those of maximal cardinality.