FINITE s-ARC TRANSITIVE GRAPHS OF PRIME-POWER ORDER

Abstract

An s-arc in a graph is a vertex sequence (α₀,α₁,…,α_s) such that {α_i−1,α_i} ∈ EΓ for 1 [les ] i [les ] s and α_i−1 ≠ α_i+1 for 1 [les ] i [les ] s − 1. This paper gives a characterization of a class of s-transitive graphs; that is, graphs for which the automorphism group is transitive on s-arcs but not on (s + 1)-arcs. It is proved that if Γ is a finite connected s-transitive graph (where s [ges ] 2) of order a p-power with p prime, then s = 2 or 3; further, either s = 3 and Γ is a normal cover of the complete bipartite graph K_2^m,2^m, or s = 2 and Γ is a normal cover of one of the following 2-transitive graphs: K_p^m+1 (the complete graph of order p^m+1), K_2^m,2^m − 2^mK₂ (the complete bipartite graph of order 2^m+1 minus a 1-factor), a primitive affine graph, or a biprimitive affine graph. (Finite primitive and biprimitive affine 2-arc transitive graphs were classified by Ivanov and Praeger in 1993.)