This is the fourth one in a series of papers classifying the factorizations of almost simple groups with nonsolvable factors. In this paper we deal with orthogonal groups of minus type.
It is shown that each subgroup of odd index in an alternating group of degree at least 10 has all insoluble composition factors to be alternating. A classification is then given of 2-arc-transitive graphs of odd order admitting an alternating group o
r a symmetric group. This is the second of a series of papers aiming towards a classification of 2-arc-transitive graphs of odd order.
A finite graph $G$ is said to be {em $(G,3)$-$($connected$)$ homogeneous} if every isomorphism between any two isomorphic (connected) subgraphs of order at most $3$ extends to an automorphism $gin G$ of the graph, where $G$ is a group of automorphism
s of the graph. In 1985, Cameron and Macpherson determined all finite $(G, 3)$-homogeneous graphs. In this paper, we develop a method for characterising $(G,3)$-connected homogeneous graphs. It is shown that for a finite $(G,3)$-connected homogeneous graph $G=(V, E)$, either $G_v^{G(v)}$ is $2$--transitive or $G_v^{G(v)}$ is of rank $3$ and $G$ has girth $3$, and that the class of finite $(G,3)$-connected homogeneous graphs is closed under taking normal quotients. This leads us to study graphs where $G$ is quasiprimitive on $V$. We determine the possible quasiprimitive types for $G$ in this case and give new constructions of examples for some possible types.
We introduce the notion of a symmetric basis of a vector space equipped with a quadratic form, and provide a sufficient and necessary condition for the existence to such a basis. Symmetric bases are then used to study Cayley graphs of certain extrasp
ecial 2-groups of order 2^{2r+1} (rgeq 1), which are further shown to be normal Cayley graphs and 2-arc-transitive covers of 2r-dimensional hypercubes.
