Realizing finite edge‐transitive orientable maps

J.E. Graver and M.E. Watkins, Memoirs Am. Math. Soc. 126 (601) ( 5 ) established that the automorphism group of an edge‐transitive, locally finite map manifests one of exactly 14 algebraically consistent combinations (called types) of the kinds of stabilizers of its edges, its vertices, its faces, and its Petrie walks. Exactly eight of these types are realized by infinite, locally finite maps in the plane. H.S.M. Coxeter (Regular Polytopes, 2nd ed., McMillan, New York, 1963) had previously observed that the nine finite edge‐transitive planar maps realize three of the eight planar types. In the present work, we show that for each of the 14 types and each integer n ≥ 11 such that n ≡ 3,11 (mod 12), there exist finite, orientable, edge‐transitive maps whose various stabilizers conform to the given type and whose automorphism groups are (abstractly) isomorphic to the symmetric group Sym(n). Exactly seven of these types (not a subset of the planar eight) are shown to admit infinite families of finite, edge‐transitive maps on the torus, and their automorphism groups are determined explicitly. Thus all finite, edge‐transitive toroidal maps are classified according to this schema. Finally, it is shown that exactly one of the 14 types can be realized as an abelian group of an edge‐transitive map, namely, as ?_n × ?₂ where n ≡ 2 (mod 4). © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 37: 1–34, 2001     

An infinite family of biprimitive semisymmetric graphs

A regular and edge-transitive graph that is not vertex-transitive is said to be semisymmetric. Every semisymmetric graph is necessarily bipartite, with the two parts having equal size and the automorphism group acting transitively on each of these two parts. A semisymmetric graph is called biprimitive, if its automorphism group acts primitively on each part. In this article, a classification of biprimitive semisymmetric graphs arising from the action of the group PSL(2, p), p ≡ ±1 (mod 8) a prime, acting on cosets of S₄ is given, resulting in several new infinite families of biprimitive semisymmetric graphs. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 32: 217–228, 1999     

Hamiltonian cycles in generalized petersen graphs

Watkins (J. Combinatorial Theory 6 (1969), 152–164) introduced the concept of generalized Petersen graphs and conjectured that all but the original Petersen graph have a Tait coloring. Castagna and Prins (Pacific J. Math. 40 (1972), 53–58) showed that the conjecture was true and conjectured that generalized Petersen graphs G(n, k) are Hamiltonian unless isomorphic to G(n, 2) where n ≡ 5(mod 6). The purpose of this paper is to prove the conjecture of Castagna and Prins in the case of coprime numbers n and k.     

Automorphism group and diameter of a graph

Given a connected graph Γ of order n and diameter d, we establish a tight upper bound for the order of the automorphism group of Γ as a function of n and d, and determine the graphs for which the bound is attained. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory.     

The graphical complexity of direct products of permutation groups

In this article, we improve known results, and, with one exceptional case, prove that when k≥3, the direct product of the automorphism groups of graphs whose edges are colored using k colors, is itself the automorphism group of a graph whose edges are colored using k colors. We have handled the case k = 2 in an earlier article. We prove similar results for directed edge‐colored graphs. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 66:303‐318, 2011     

Cubic vertex‐transitive graphs of order 2pq

A graph is vertex?transitive or symmetric if its automorphism group acts transitively on vertices or ordered adjacent pairs of vertices of the graph, respectively. Let G be a finite group and S a subset of G such that 1?S and S={s^?1 | s∈S}. The Cayleygraph Cay(G, S) on G with respect to S is defined as the graph with vertex set G and edge set {{g, sg} | g∈G, s∈S}. Feng and Kwak [J Combin Theory B 97 (2007), 627–646; J Austral Math Soc 81 (2006), 153–164] classified all cubic symmetric graphs of order 4p or 2p² and in this article we classify all cubic symmetric graphs of order 2pq, where p and q are distinct odd primes. Furthermore, a classification of all cubic vertex‐transitive non‐Cayley graphs of order 2pq, which were investigated extensively in the literature, is given. As a result, among others, a classification of cubic vertex‐transitive graphs of order 2pq can be deduced. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 65: 285–302, 2010     

Distinguishing Cartesian powers of graphs

The distinguishing number D(G) of a graph is the least integer d such that there is a d‐labeling of the vertices of G that is not preserved by any nontrivial automorphism of G. We show that the distinguishing number of the square and higher powers of a connected graph G ≠ K₂, K₃ with respect to the Cartesian product is 2. This result strengthens results of Albertson [Electron J Combin, 12 ( 1 ), #N17] on powers of prime graphs, and results of Klav?ar and Zhu [Eu J Combin, to appear]. More generally, we also prove that d(G □ H) = 2 if G and H are relatively prime and |H| ≤ |G| < 2^|H| ? |H|. Under additional conditions similar results hold for powers of graphs with respect to the strong and the direct product. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 53: 250–260, 2006     

Quantum automorphism groups of vertex-transitive graphs of order ≤ 11

We study quantum automorphism groups of vertex-transitive graphs having less than 11 vertices. With one possible exception, these can be obtained from cyclic groups , symmetric groups S _n and quantum symmetric groups , by using various product operations. The exceptional case is that of the Petersen graph, and we present some questions about it.     

One-regular Normal Cayley Graphs on Dihedral Groups of Valency 4 or 6 with Cyclic Vertex Stabilizer

A graph G is one-regular if its automorphism group Aut（G） acts transitively and semiregularly on the arc set. A Cayley graph Cay（Г, S） is normal if Г is a normal subgroup of the full automorphism group of Cay（Г, S）. Xu, M. Y., Xu, J. （Southeast Asian Bulletin of Math., 25, 355-363 （2001）） classified one-regular Cayley graphs of valency at most 4 on finite abelian groups. Marusic, D., Pisanski, T. （Croat. Chemica Acta, 73, 969-981 （2000）） classified cubic one-regular Cayley graphs on a dihedral group, and all of such graphs turn out to be normal. In this paper, we classify the 4-valent one-regular normal Cayley graphs G on a dihedral group whose vertex stabilizers in Aut（G） are cyclic. A classification of the same kind of graphs of valency 6 is also discussed.     

The n‐ordered graphs: A new graph class

For a positive integer n, we introduce the new graph class of n‐ordered graphs, which generalize partial n‐trees. Several characterizations are given for the finite n‐ordered graphs, including one via a combinatorial game. We introduce new countably infinite graphs R⁽ⁿ⁾, which we name the infinite random n‐ordered graphs. The graphs R⁽ⁿ⁾ play a crucial role in the theory of n‐ordered graphs, and are inspired by recent research on the web graph and the infinite random graph. We characterize R⁽ⁿ⁾ as a limit of a random process, and via an adjacency property and a certain folding operation. We prove that the induced subgraphs of R⁽ⁿ⁾ are exactly the countable n‐ordered graphs. We show that all countable groups embed in the automorphism group of R⁽ⁿ⁾. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 60: 204–218, 2009     

Tetravalent half‐edge‐transitive graphs and non‐normal Cayley graphs

Let X be a vertex‐transitive graph, that is, the automorphism group Aut(X) of X is transitive on the vertex set of X. The graph X is said to be symmetric if Aut(X) is transitive on the arc set of X. suppose that Aut(X) has two orbits of the same length on the arc set of X. Then X is said to be half‐arc‐transitive or half‐edge‐transitive if Aut(X) has one or two orbits on the edge set of X, respectively. Stabilizers of symmetric and half‐arc‐transitive graphs have been investigated by many authors. For example, see Tutte [Canad J Math 11 (1959), 621–624] and Conder and Maru?i? [J Combin Theory Ser B 88 (2003), 67–76]. It is trivial to construct connected tetravalent symmetric graphs with arbitrarily large stabilizers, and by Maru?i? [Discrete Math 299 (2005), 180–193], connected tetravalent half‐arc‐transitive graphs can have arbitrarily large stabilizers. In this article, we show that connected tetravalent half‐edge‐transitive graphs can also have arbitrarily large stabilizers. A Cayley graph Cay(G, S) on a group G is said to be normal if the right regular representation R(G) of G is normal in Aut(Cay(G, S)). There are only a few known examples of connected tetravalent non‐normal Cayley graphs on non‐abelian simple groups. In this article, we give a sufficient condition for non‐normal Cayley graphs and by using the condition, infinitely many connected tetravalent non‐normal Cayley graphs are constructed. As an application, all connected tetravalent non‐normal Cayley graphs on the alternating group A₆ are determined. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory     

Partition graphs for finite symmetric groups

This paper outlines an investigation of a class of arc-transitive graphs admitting a finite symmetric group S_n acting primitively on vertices, with vertex-stabilizer isomorphic to the wreath product S_m wr S_r (preserving a partition of {1,2,…n} into r parts of equal size m). Several properties of these graphs are considered, including their correspondence with r × r matrices with constant row- and column-sums equal to m, their girth, and the local action of the vertex-stabilizer. Also, it is shown that the only instance where S_n acts transitively on 2-arcs occurs in the case m = r = 2. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Graph Theory 25: 107–117, 1997     

The distinguishing number of the direct product and wreath product action

Let G be a group acting faithfully on a set X. The distinguishing number of the action of G on X, denoted D _G(X), is the smallest number of colors such that there exists a coloring of X where no nontrivial group element induces a color-preserving permutation of X. In this paper, we consider the distinguishing number of two important product actions, the wreath product and the direct product. Given groups G and H acting on sets X and Y respectively, we characterize the distinguishing number of the wreath product G ≀_Y H in terms of the number of distinguishing colorings of X with respect to G and the distinguishing number of the action of H on Y. We also prove a recursive formula for the distinguishing number of the action of the Cartesian product of two symmetric groups S _m × S _n on [m] × [n].     

Perfect coloring and linearly χ‐bound P6‐free graphs

We derive decomposition theorems for P₆, K₁ + P₄‐free graphs, P₅, K₁ + P₄‐free graphs and P₅, K₁ + C₄‐free graphs, and deduce linear χ‐binding functions for these classes of graphs (here, P_n (C_n) denotes the path (cycle) on n vertices and K₁ + G denotes the graph obtained from G by adding a new vertex and joining it with every vertex of G). Using the same techniques, we also obtain an optimal χ‐binding function for P₅, C₄‐free graphs which is an improvement over that given in [J. L. Fouquet, V. Giakoumakis, F. Maire, and H. Thuillier, 11 , Discrete Math, 146, 33–44.]. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 54: 293–306, 2007     

2-Arc-transitive cyclic covers of K n,n −nK 2

Du et al. (in J. Comb. Theory B 74:276–290, 1998 and J. Comb. Theory B 93:73–93, 2005), classified regular covers of complete graph whose fiber-preserving automorphism group acts 2-arc-transitively, and whose covering transformation group is either cyclic or isomorphic to $\mathbb{Z}_{p}^{2}$ or $\mathbb{Z}_{p}^{3}$ with p a prime. In this paper, a complete classification is achieved of all the regular covers of bipartite complete graphs minus a matching K _n,n ?nK ₂ with cyclic covering transformation groups, whose fiber-preserving automorphism groups act 2-arc-transitively.     

The automorphism group of a product of hypergraphs

A theorem of G. Sabidussi (1959, Duke Math. J. 26, 693–696) gives necessary and sufficient conditions for the automorphism group of the wreath product of two graphs to be the wreath product of their respective automorphism groups. In this paper we define a wreath product of hypergraphs and prove a theorem extending that of Sabidussi.     

Edge‐decompositions of Kn,n into isomorphic copies of a given tree

We construct an incidence structure using certain points and lines in finite projective spaces. The structural properties of the associated bipartite incidence graphs are analyzed. These n × n bipartite graphs provide constructions of C₆‐free graphs with Ω(n^4/3 edges, C₁₀‐free graphs with Ω(n^6/5) edges, and Θ(7,7,7)‐free graphs with Ω(n^8/7) edges. Each of these bounds is sharp in order of magnitude. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 49: 1–10, 2005     

Graphs with symmetric automorphism group

We investigate the properties of graphs whose automorphism group is the symmetric group. In particular, we characterize graphs on less than 2n points with group S_n, and construct all graphs on n + 3 points with group S_n. Graphs with 2n or more points and group S_n are discussed briefly.     

On cubic non‐Cayley vertex‐transitive graphs

In 1983, the second author [D. Maru?i?, Ars Combinatoria 16B (1983), 297–302] asked for which positive integers n there exists a non‐Cayley vertex‐transitive graph on n vertices. (The term non‐Cayley numbers has later been given to such integers.) Motivated by this problem, Feng [Discrete Math 248 (2002), 265–269] asked to determine the smallest valency ?(n) among valencies of non‐Cayley vertex‐transitive graphs of order n. As cycles are clearly Cayley graphs, ?(n)?3 for any non‐Cayley number n. In this paper a goal is set to determine those non‐Cayley numbers n for which ?(n) = 3, and among the latter to determine those for which the generalized Petersen graphs are the only non‐Cayley vertex‐transitive graphs of order n. It is known that for a prime p every vertex‐transitive graph of order p, p² or p³ is a Cayley graph, and that, with the exception of the Coxeter graph, every cubic non‐Cayley vertex‐transitive graph of order 2p, 4p or 2p² is a generalized Petersen graph. In this paper the next natural step is taken by proving that every cubic non‐Cayley vertex‐transitive graph of order 4p², p>7 a prime, is a generalized Petersen graph. In addition, cubic non‐Cayley vertex‐transitive graphs of order 2p^k, where p>7 is a prime and k?p, are characterized. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 69: 77–95, 2012     

s‐Regular cubic graphs as coverings of the complete bipartite graph K3,3

A graph is s‐regular if its automorphism group acts freely and transitively on the set of s‐arcs. An infinite family of cubic 1‐regular graphs was constructed in [10], as cyclic coverings of the three‐dimensional Hypercube. In this paper, we classify the s‐regular cyclic coverings of the complete bipartite graph K_3,3 for each ≥ 1 whose fibre‐preserving automorphism subgroups act arc‐transitively. As a result, a new infinite family of cubic 1‐regular graphs is constructed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Graph Theory 45: 101–112, 2004