ELibM Journals • ELibM Home • EMIS Home • EMIS Mirrors

  EMIS Electronic Library of Mathematics (ELibM)
The Open Access Repository of Mathematics
  EMIS ELibM Electronic Journals

JOURNAL OF
ALGEBRAIC
COMBINATORICS

  Editors-in-chief: C. A. Athanasiadis, T. Lam, A. Munemasa, H. Van Maldeghem
ISSN 0925-9899 (print) • ISSN 1572-9192 (electronic)
 

The Terwilliger Algebra of a Distance-Regular Graph that Supports a Spin Model

John S. Caughman1 and Nadine Wolff2
1Department of Mathematical Sciences Portland State University P.O. Box 751 Portland OR 97207-0751
2Department of Mathematics University of Hawaii at Hilo 200 W. Kawili St. Hilo HI 96720

DOI: 10.1007/s10801-005-6913-1

Abstract

Let Gamma denote a distance-regular graph with vertex set X, diameter D ge 3, valency k ge 3, and assume Gamma supports a spin model W. Write W = sum i = 0 D t i A i where A i is the ith distance-matrix of Gamma. To avoid degenerate situations we assume Gamma is not a Hamming graph and t i notin { t 0, - t 0 } for 1 le i le D. In an earlier paper Curtin and Nomura determined the intersection numbers of Gamma in terms of D and two complex parameters eegr and q. We extend their results as follows. Fix any vertex x isin X and let T = T( x) denote the corresponding Terwilliger algebra. Let U denote an irreducible T-module with endpoint r and diameter d. We obtain the intersection numbers c i( U), b i( U), a i( U) as rational expressions involving r, d, D, eegr and q. We show that the isomorphism class of U as a T-module is determined by r and d. We present a recurrence that gives the multiplicities with which the irreducible T-modules appear in the standard module. We compute these multiplicites explicitly for the irreducible T-modules with endpoint at most 3. We prove that the parameter q is real and we show that if Gamma is not bipartite, then q > 0 and eegr is real.

Pages: 289–310

Keywords: key words distance-regular graph; spin model; Terwilliger algebra

Full Text: PDF

References

1. E. Bannai and Et. Bannai, “Generalized generalized spin models (four weight spin models),” Pacific J. Math. 170 (1995), 1-16.
2. E. Bannai and T. Ito, Algebraic Combinatorics I: Association Schemes, Benjamin/Cummings, London, 1984.
3. E. Bannai, F. Jaeger, and A. Sali, “Classification of small spin models,” Kyushu J. Math. 48 (1994), 185-200.
4. A.E. Brouwer, A.M. Cohen, and A. Neumaier, Distance-Regular Graphs, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1989.
5. J.S. Caughman, IV, “The Terwilliger algebras of bipartite P- and Q-polynomial schemes,” Discrete Math. 196 (1999), 65-95.
6. B. Curtin, “2-homogeneous bipartite distance-regular graphs,” Discrete Math. 187 (1998), 39-70.
7. B. Curtin, “Distance-regular graphs which support a spin model are thin,” Discrete Math. 197/198 (1999), 205-216. CAUGHMAN AND WOLFF
8. B. Curtin and K. Nomura, “Some formulas for spin models on distance-regular graphs,” J. Combin. Theory Ser. B 75 (1999), 206-236.
9. B. Curtin and K. Nomura, “Spin models and strongly hyper-self-dual Bose-Mesner algebras,” J. Algebraic Combin. 13 (2001), 173-186.
10. C.W. Curtis and I. Reiner, Representation Theory of Finite Groups and Associative Algebras, Interscience, New York, 1962.
11. Y. Egawa, “Characterization of H (n, q) by the parameters,” J. Combin. Theory Ser. A 31 (1981), 108-125.
12. F. Jaeger, “Towards a classification of spin models in terms of association schemes,” Adv. Stud. Pure Math. 24 (1996), 197-225.
13. F. Jaeger, M. Matsumoto, and K. Nomura, “Bose-Mesner algebras related to type II matricers and spin models,” J. Algebraic Combin. 8 (1998), 39-72.
14. A. Munemasa, Personal communication, 1994.
15. K. Nomura, “Spin models and almost bipartite 2-homogeneous graphs,” in Progress in Algebraic Combinatorics (Fukuoka, 1993), vol. 24 of Adv. Stud. Pure Math., Math. Soc. Japan, Tokyo (1996) pp. 285-308.
16. K. Tanabe, “The irreducible modules of the Terwilliger algebras of Doob schemes,” J. Algebraic Combin 6 (1997), 173-195.
17. P. Terwilliger, “The subconstituent algebra of an association scheme, I,” J. Algebraic Combin. 1(4) (1992), 363-388.
18. N. Yamazaki, “Bipartite distance-regular graphs with an eigenvalue of multiplicity k,” J. Combin. Theory Ser. B 66 (1996), 34-37.




© 1992–2009 Journal of Algebraic Combinatorics
© 2012 FIZ Karlsruhe / Zentralblatt MATH for the EMIS Electronic Edition