There does not exist a strongly regular graph with parameters \((1911, 270, 105, 27)\) (Q2138556): Difference between revisions

This paper contributes to the ongoing research regarding strongly regular graphs with smallest eigenvalue \(-m\) for some fixed integer \(m \geq 1\). Sims (see Theorems 8.6.3 and 8.6.4 in [\textit{A. E. Brouwer} and \textit{H. Van Maldeghem}, Strongly regular graphs. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (2022; Zbl 1498.05001)]) proved that a primitive strongly regular graph with parameters \((n,k,\lambda,\mu)\) and smallest eigenvalue \(-m\) for some fixed integer \(m \geq 2\), has either \(n \leq N(m)\) for some constant \(N(m) > 0\) or \(\mu \in \{m(m-1),m^2\}\). For \(m = 3\), it was known that \(276 \leq N(3) \leq 1911\) and the main result of this paper shows \(N(3) \leq 1344\). Moreover, it is conjectured that \(N(3) = 276\). There are twelve more open cases that need to be resolved in order to prove this conjecture. The proof is a combination of interlacing techniques and an extension of a result due to [\textit{G. R. W. Greaves} et al., Eur. J. Comb. 97, Article ID 103384, 10 p. (2021; Zbl 1473.05323)] which restricts the possible orders of maximal cliques in strongly regular graphs. It is shown that a putative strongly regular graph with parameters \((1911, 270, 105, 27)\) contains two maximal cliques that intersect in many vertices. Building on this observation, the local structure of the graph is investigated until one arrives at a contradiction.