Diameter of Cayley graphs of \(\mathrm{SL}(n,p)\) with generating sets containing a transvection (Q2216544): Difference between revisions

Let \(G\) be a group given by a generating set \(X\). Denote by \(\mathrm{diam}(G)\) the diameter of \(G\), i.e. the maximum of diameters of all Cayley graphs \(\mathrm{Cay}(G,X)\) where \(X\) runs through all generating sets of \(G\). A well-known conjecture of Babai states that if \(G\) is a non-abelian finite simple group then \(\mathrm{diam}(G) < (\mathrm{log}|G|)^c\) for some absolute constant \(c\). For the case of \(\mathrm{SL}(2, p)\), the conjecture was proved by \textit{H. A. Helfgott} [Ann. Math. (2) 167, No. 2, 601--623 (2008; Zbl 1213.20045)]. For finite simple groups of Lie type of bounded rank, the conjecture was verified by \textit{L. Pyber} and \textit{E. Szabó} [J. Am. Math. Soc. 29, No. 1, 95--146 (2016; Zbl 1371.20010)], and independently by \textit{E. Breuillard} et al. [Geom. Funct. Anal. 21, No. 4, 774--819 (2011; Zbl 1229.20045)]. For classical groups of unbounded rank, the conjecture remains open. In this pape,r it is proved that if a generating set \(X\) of \(G = \mathrm{SL}(n, p)\) contains a transvection then \(\mathrm{diam}(\mathrm{Cay}(G, X)) = \textit{O}((\mathrm{log \, p})^cn^{13})\) for some absolute constant \(c\) (Theorem 1.3). Furthermore, it is shown that if \(K\) is an arbitrary field and a generating set \(X\) of \(\mathrm{SL}(n, K)\) contains \(\{1+ \lambda x \mid \lambda \in K^*\}\), where \(t = 1+x\) is a transvection, then \(\mathrm{diam}(\mathrm{Cay}(G, X)) = \textit{O}(n^{11})\) (Theorem~1.5).