A remark on a theorem of P. de la Harpe and V. F. R. Jones (Q2365005)

Let \(c(p)\) denote the number of conjugacy classes of unordered orthogonal pairs of maximal abelian *-subalgebras in the von Neumann algebra \(M_p(\mathbb{C})\), \(p\) a prime. Using the Paley graph P. de la Harpe and V. F. R. Jones have proved that \(c(p)>1\) if \(p\equiv 1\pmod 4\) and \(p\geq 13\). On the other hand, A. Munemasa and Y. Watatani have shown that \(c(p)>1\) if \(p\equiv 3\pmod 4\) and \(p\geq 7\). In this paper we give criteria for conjugacy of orthogonal pairs which can be obtained by means of these two constructions (and their generalizations). Then we obtain some lower bounds for \(c(p)\). In particular, we show that 1) \(c(p)\geq 2+g(p)\), where \(g(p)\) denotes the number of strongly regular graphs with parameters \((p,(p-1)/2, (p-5)/4, (p-1)/4)\) up to isomorphism and \(13\leq p\equiv 1\pmod 4\), and 2) \(c(p)\geq 1+h(p+1)\), where \(h(p+1)\) denotes the number of Hadamard matrices of order \(p+1\) up to equivalency and \(7\leq p\equiv 3\pmod 4\).