Almost 2-homogeneous graphs and completely regular quadrangles (Q1015437)

A distance-regular graph \(\Gamma\) of diameter \(d\) is called almost bipartite if \(a_1=\dots=a_{d-1}=0\). A vertex subset \(S\) of \(\Gamma\) is called a completely regular if the numbers \(|\Gamma_j(x)\cap S|\) (\(i,j\in \{0,\dots,d\}\)) depend only on \(i=d(x,S)\) and \(j\). Let \(\Gamma\) be a graph of diameter \(d\) and \(i\in \{1,\dots,d\}\). Let \({\mathcal T}_i^*=\{\{(u,v,w)\;|\;d(u,v)=2, u,v\in \Gamma_i(w)\}\) and \({\mathcal T}_i=\{\{(u,v,w)\;|\;d(u,v)=2, u,v\in \Gamma_i(w),d(w,C(u,v))=i-1\}\). We say that \(\gamma_i\) exist (resp. \(\gamma_i\) exist for \({\mathcal T}_i\)) if for all \((u,v,w)\in {\mathcal T}_i^*\) (resp. for all \((u,v,w)\in {\mathcal T}_i\)) \(\gamma(u,v,w)=|C(u,v)\cap \Gamma_{i-1}(w)|=\gamma_i\). Hense \(\gamma_i\) exist for \({\mathcal T}_i\) if and only if \(\gamma(u,v,w)\in \{0,\gamma_i\}\) for all \((u,v,w)\in {\mathcal T}_i^*\). \(\Gamma\) is said to be 2-homogeneous if \(\gamma_i\) exist for \(i\in \{2,3,\dots,d\}\) and almost 2-homogeneous if \(\gamma_i\) exist for \(i\in \{2,3,\dots,d-2\}\). The following result is a generalization of Nomura theorem on almost bipartite distance-regular graphs. Theorem 4.1. Suppose \(\Gamma\) is a triangle-free almost 2-homogeneous distance-regular graph of diameter \(d\geq 3\) and valency \(k\geq 3\). In the case \(d=3\) further assume that \(\gamma_2\) exist. Then \(\Gamma\) is isomorphic to one of the following. {\parindent=10mm \begin{itemize}\item[(i)]Binary Hamming graph \(H(d,2)\) or its folded graph. \item[(ii)]Coxeter graph with intersection array \(\{3,2,2,1;1,1,1,2\}\), dodecahedron with intersection array \(\{3,2,1,1,1;1,1,1,2,3\}\) or Biggs-Smith graph with intersection array \newline\(\{3,2,2,2,1,1,1;1,1,1,1,1,1,3\}\). \item[(iii)]Graph with intersection array \(\{k,k-1,1;1,k-1,k\}\). \item[(iv)]Hadamard graph with intersection array \(\{4\gamma,4\gamma-1,2\gamma,1;1,2\gamma,4\gamma-1,4\gamma\}\). \item[(v)]Graph with intersection array \(\{k,k-1,k-c,c,1;1,c,k-c,k-1,k\}\), \(k=\gamma(\gamma^2+3\gamma+1)\), \(c=\gamma(\gamma+1)\), \(\gamma>0\). \item[(vi)]The coset graph of the extended binary Golay code with intersection array \newline\(\{24,23,22,21;1,2,3,24\}\). \item[(vii)]Graph with parameters \(c_{d-1}=1\), \(a_1=\dots=a_{d-1}=0\) and \(d\leq 6\). \item[(viii)]Graph with parameters \(c_i=i\) for \(i\in \{1,\dots,d-1\}\), \(a_1=\dots=a_{d-3}=0\), \(a_{d-2}=d-1<a_{d-1}\). \item[(ix)]Graph of valency \(k\geq 4\) with parameters \(c_{d-1}=1\), \(a_1=\dots=a_{d-4}=0\), \(a_{d-3}\geq 1\), \(a_{d-2}\leq 1\) and \(a_{d-1}>0\). \end{itemize}} Corollary 5.2. Let \(\Gamma\) be a distance-regular graph of diameter \(d\geq 4\). Suppose there is a quadrangle, and for every quadrangle \(C\) and a vertex \(u\) with \(d(u,C)=i\leq d-2\), \(\gamma_i(u,C)=|\Gamma_i(u)\cap C|=1\). Then \(\Gamma\) is isomorphic binary Hamming graph \(H(d,2)\) or its folded graph or the coset graph of the extended binary Golay code with intersection array \(\{24,23,22,21;1,2,3,24\}\).