Affine distance-transitive groups with alternating or symmetric point stabiliser (Q1202738)

The paper provides a non-trivial contribution to the classification of all finite primitive distance-transitive graphs. Under the assumption that the distance-transitive group \(G\) is an affine group, the vertex set \(\Omega\) (of the finite distance-transitive graph \(\Gamma\), \(G\leq\text{Aut} \Gamma)\) can be identified with the vectors of \(V=\mathbb{F}^ m_ p\) \((p\) a prime) so that \(G\) is a subgroup of the affine group containing the regular translation group of order \(p^ m\). Since \(G\) is primitive, the stabiliser \(G_ 0\) of the zero vector is an irreducible subgroup of \(\text{GL}(V)\). Moreover, the number \(d\) of orbits of \(G_ 0\) in \(V\backslash\{0\}\) is the diameter of \(\Gamma\). The authors prove the following result: Suppose that \(G\) is an affine group acting primitively and distance-transitively on a graph \(\Gamma\) and that, for some \(q=p^ a\), \(V\) carries an \(\mathbb{F}_ q\)-structure such that the generalized Fitting subgroup \(S=F(G_ 0/F(G_ 0))\) is an alternating group, the projective representation of which on \(V\) is realised over \(\mathbb{F}_ q\) but over no proper subfield, and is absolutely irreducible. Then, either the diameter \(d\leq 2\), or \(\Gamma\) is a half- cube, a folded cube, or a folded half-cube.