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Mathematica Slovaca: Dragan Marušič Tomaž Pisanski The Remarkable Generalized Petersen Graph

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64 views6 pages

Mathematica Slovaca: Dragan Marušič Tomaž Pisanski The Remarkable Generalized Petersen Graph

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Mathematica Slovaca

Dragan Marui; Toma Pisanski


The remarkable generalized Petersen graph G(8, 3)
Mathematica Slovaca, Vol. 50 (2000), No. 2, 117--121

Persistent URL: http://dml.cz/dmlcz/133137

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Mathematica
Slovaca

2000
Mathematical Institute
Slovak Academy of Sciences

/-
-..% / \ IVI -. ...-,.>-44
M a t h . Slovaca, 5 0 ( 2 0 0 0 ) , NO. 2, 1 1 7 - 1 2 1

Dedicated to our

parents

T H E R E M A R K A B L E GENERALIZED
P E T E R S E N G R A P H (2(8,3)
DRAGAN MARUSIC TOMAZ PlSANSKI
(Communicated

by Martin

Skoviera)

A B S T R A C T . Some properties of G(8, 3) are presented showing its uniqueness


among generalized Petersen graphs.

For a positive integer n > 3 and 1 < r < n / 2 , the generalized Petersen graph
G(n,r) has vertex set {UQ^U-^, ... ,un_1,vQ)v1:...
,vn_1} and edges of the form
uivi, u{ui+l,
v{vi+r, i G { 0 , 1 , . . . , n 1} with arithmetic modulo n .
In [6] the automorphism group of G(n,r) was determined for each n and
r . With the exception of the dodecahedron G(10,2), the generalized Petersen
graph G(n, r) is vertex-transitive, if and only if r 2 = i t l (mod n ) . Furthermore,
G(n,r) is a Cayley graph if and only if r 2 == 1 (mod n ) ; see [9], [10]. Finally it
was also shown in [6] that G(n,r) is arc-transitive if and only if
(n,r) e {(4,1), (5, 2), (8, 3), (10, 2), (10, 3), (12,5), (24, 5 ) } .
Note that G(4,1) is the cube, and that 67(8, 3), G(12,5) and G(24, 5) are its
covers ([3]). On the other hand, G(5,2) is the Petersen graph whose canonical
double cover is G(10, 3), while G(10, 2) arises as a double cover of its pentagonal embedding in the projective plane. G(8, 3) is known as the Mobius-Kantor
graph ([3]), since it is the Levi graph of the unique 8 3 -configuration. Similarly,
1991 M a t h e m a t i c s S u b j e c t C l a s s i f i c a t i o n : generalized Petersen graph, arc-transitive
graph, Cayley graph, Mobius-Kantor graph, regular m a p .
K e y w o r d s : P r i m a r y 05C25.
Supported in part by Ministrstvo za znanost in tehnologijo Slovenije, proj. No. Jl-7035-0101-97.
(1st author)
Supported in part by Ministrstvo za znanost in tehnologijo Slovenije, proj. No. J2-6193-0101-97
and Jl-6161-0101-97. (2nd author)

117

DRAGAN MARUSlC TOMA2 PISANSKI


G(10,3) is the Levi graph of the Desargues 10 3 -configuration and G(12,5) is
the Levi graph of one of the 229 12 3 -configurations (see [8]). The number of
^-configurations was recently computed up to n < 18 in [1].
We support our claim from the title by the following facts. G(8, 3) is the only
generalized Petersen graph except for the trivial examples G(n, 1), n > 3, that
is a Cayley graph of a dihedral group. More precisely, it is a Cayley graph T for
the dihedral group
D8 = (x, y | x 8 = y2 = 1, x " 1 = yxy)
of order 16 with respect to the generating set {y, xy) x3y} which clearly identifies
the two bipartition sets. This fact is not mentioned in [4] where G(8, 3) is given
as an example of the Cayley graph for the group (2,2, 2) 2 .
Note that any bipartite Cayley graph of a dihedral group Dn with respect
to a generating set consisting solely of reflections xfy, where t E T C Zn and
0 E T , can be described by its symbol T . This, in turn, can be put in one-to-one
correspondence with a positive integer N via its binary notation:
7V

Q2"- 1 +

+ K_
+ b,
n-1
n-2
u

by letting t E T if and only if bt = 1. In this way we get a graph H(N) for


each integer N called the Haar graph of TV (see [7]). Clearly, G(2m + 1,1)
does not have a Haar graph representation, whereas G(2m, 1) = H(22m~1
+ 3)
and G(8, 3), the only other generalized Petersen graph that is a Haar graph, is
isomorphic to H(133).

FIGURE 1.

Two views of the Mobius-Kantor graph G(8, 3) = H(133).

To continue with special properties of G(8,3) we turn to Z^-covers, k > 2,


of complete graphs. It is proved in [5] that 2-arc-transitive connected Z^-covers
of Kn exist only for k = 2,4. The case k = 2 gives rise to the canonical double
118

THE REMARKABLE GENERALIZED PETERSEN GRAPH

C(8,3)

cover Kn n nK2 , whereas in the case k = 4 such a graph exists and is unique if
and only if n = p25+1 + 1, where p is a prime congruent to 3 modulo 4. G(8, 3)
is the smallest member in this family and corresponds to the pair (p, s) = (3,0).
It is obtained from K4 with vertices 0 , 1 , 2 , 3 , by assigning voltage 1 to the
three arcs 12, 23, 31 and voltage 0 to all other arcs. The next case exists for
(p,s) = (7, 0) and yields a 7-valent graph on 32 vertices, a 4-fold cover of K8.
Like all cubic Haar graphs, G(8, 3) embeds in a torus with hexagonal faces
only (see [11]), which implies that it has the infinite hexagonal lattice graph H^
among its covers. A toroidal hexagonal embedding of G(8, 3) can be obtained
by taking the Cayley map for the dihedral group Ds with an arbitrary cyclic
permutation of the generating set {y, xy, x3y}. By [12; Theorem 2] one can prove
that the resulting embedding is not regular.
Also, let us mention that the automorphism group Aut G(8, 3) has order 96
and is the group T of T h o m a s T u c k e r , the only group of genus 2 (see [14]).
The Cayley graph for T that embeds in double torus is depicted in Figure 2.

..J

^ A.

\y
i v
L.

x~\

F I G U R E 2. A Cayley graph for t h e a u t o m o r p h i s m group T of O(8,3) embedded


in double torus. One can easily read off t h e presentation T = (a, b, c | a 2 = b'2 =
c2 = ( a b ) 2 = (ac)3 = (be)8 = 1). T h e m a p is dual t o t h e barycentric subdivision
of t h e m a p of G(8,3) in Figure 1.

The graph G(8, 3) also has a regular octagonal embedding in the double
torus shown in [4; Figure 3.6.c]. This embedding can be constructed from the
2
2
2
2
3
s
presentation T = (a, b, c | a = b = c = (ab) = (ac) = (bc) = 1) by taking
the orbits of (a, c) as vertices, the orbits of (a, b) as edges and the orbits of
(6, c) as faces. Since the map is reflexible and bipartite its Petrie dual is also
orientable, regular (and reflexible). Hence G(8, 3) admits a regular 12-gonal
map in the triple torus.
As a final remark, we would like to point out the reference [13] that came to
119

DRAGAN MARUSlC T0MA.2 PISANSKI

our attention during the revision of this manuscript, in which the author studies
the map in Figure 1 and other regular maps that result from branched covering
of the standard Q3 in the sphere.

Acknowledgement
We would like to express our thanks to Martin Skoviera who brought the
regularity issues of G(8, 3) to our attention and helped us dealing with them.

REFERENCES
[1] B E T T E N , A . B R I N K M A N N , G.PISANSKI, T . : Counting
tions (Submitted).
[2] B I G G S , N . : Algebraic
[3] The Foster Census
Winnipeg, 1988.

symmetric

v3

configura-

Graph Theory (2nd ed.), Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, 1993.


(I. Z. Bouwer et al, eds.), T h e Charles Babbage Research Centre,

[4] C O X E T E R , H. S. M.MOSER, W. O. J . : Generators and Relators for Discrete


Groups
(4th ed.). Ergeb. Math. Grenzgeb. (3), Bd. 14, Springer-Verlag, Berlin-Heidelberg-New
York, 1980.
[5] DU, S. F . M A R U S I C , D.WALLER, A. O. : On 2-arc-transitive
graphs, J. Combin. Theory Ser. B 7 4 (1998), 276-290.

covers of

complete

[6] F R U C H T , R . G R A V E R , J. E . W A T K I N S , M. E. : The groups of the generalized


tersen graphs, Proc. Cambridge Pnilos. Soc. 70 (1971), 211-218.

Pe-

[7] HLADNIK, M . M A R U S I C , D.PISANSKI, T . : Cyclic Haar graphs (Submitted).


[8] G R O P P , H . : Configurations. In: The C R C Handbook of Combinatorial Designs ( C J. Colburn, J. H. Dinitz, eds.), C R C Press Ser. on Discr. Math, and its Appl., C R C Press, Boca
Raton, CA, 1996, pp. 253-255.
[9] L O V R E C I C - S A R A Z I N , M . : A note on the generalized Petersen
ley graphs, J. Combin. Theory Ser. B 69 (1997), 226-229.
[10] N E D E L A , R . S K O V I E R A , M. : Which generalized
J. Graph Theory 19 (1995), 1-11.

Petersen

[11] PISANSKI, T . R A N D I C , M . : Bridges between Geometry

graphs that are also Caygraphs are Cayley

and Graph Theory (To appear).

[12] S K O V I E R A , M.SIRAN, J . : Regular maps from Cayley graphs, Part 1: Balanced


maps, Discrete M a t h . 1 0 9 (1992), 265-276.
[13] S U R O W S K I , D . : The Mobius-Kantor
regular map of genus two and regular
coverings. Presented at SIGMAC 98, Flagstaff, AZ, July 20-24, 1998,
http://odin.math.nau.edu:80/~sew/sigmac.html.

120

graphs,

Cayley
Ramified

THE REMARKABLE GENERALIZED PETERSEN GRAPH G(8,3)


[14] T U C K E R , T . W . : There is only one group of genus two, J. Combin. Theory Ser. B 3 6
(1984), 269-275.

Received October 7, 1998


Revised November 26, 1998

IMFM
Univerza v Ljubljani
Jadranska 19
SLO-1111
Ljubljana
SLOVENIJA
E-mail:

Dragan.Marusic@uni-lj.si
Tomaz. Pisanski@fmf. uni-lj .si

121

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