On \((v,k,\lambda{})\) graphs and designs with trivial automorphism group (Q1813213)

A \((v,k,\lambda)\) graph is a strongly regular graph with \(\lambda=\mu\). A vertex-vertex (0,1) adjacency matrix \(A\) of a \((v,k,\lambda)\) graph can be interpreted as a point-block incidence matrix of a design, and with this interpretation \(A\) determines a symmetric \((v,k,\lambda)\) design. Thus, up to isomorphism of the design, a \((v,k,\lambda)\) graph \(\Gamma\) determines a unique symmetric \((v,k,\lambda)\) design \(D(\Gamma)\). However, (i) the design \(D(\Gamma)\) may have automorphisms \((PAQ=A)\) which the graph \(\Gamma\) does not have \((PAP^ T\neq A)\), and (ii) nonisomorphic graphs \(\Gamma\), \(\Gamma'\) may determine isomorphic designs \(D(\Gamma)\simeq D(\Gamma')\). For example there are two nonisomorphic (16,6,2) graphs which correspond to the same design. Haemers has shown that (ii) can happen only if the automorphism groups of \(\Gamma\) and \(\Gamma'\) have even order [in \textit{Papers dedicated to J. J. Seidel}, 183-191, edited by P. J. de Doelder and J. de Graaf, EUT-Rep., Eindhoven 84-WSK-03, 1984; Zbl 0558.05043]. In particular, if \(\Gamma\), \(\Gamma'\) are nonisomorphic \((v,k,\lambda)\) graphs with trivial automorphism groups then \(D(\Gamma)\) and \(D(\Gamma')\) are nonisomorphic. For example there are 15417 nonisomorphic (36,15,6) graphs with trivial automorphism group (among the 16448 such graphs). The question addressed in this paper is whether the designs which arise from such graphs must also have trivial automorphism group. It is shown in Theorem 1 that any automorphism of such a design must have odd order, while the main result, Theorem 4, gives strong structural conditions on \((v,k,\lambda)\) graphs \(\Gamma\) with trivial automorphism groups such that \(D(\Gamma)\) has a nontrivial automorphism. The first cases of interest are examined, namely the case where \((v,k,\lambda)\) is (35,18,9), (36,15,6) or (36,21,12). It is shown for these cases that if \(\Gamma\) has trivial automorphism group then so also does \(D(\Gamma)\), except for one exception which is constructed in the paper: a (36,15,6) graph with trivial automorphism group such that the automorphism group of \(D(\Gamma)\) has order 3.