Hamiltonicity of vertex-transitive graphs of order 4\(p\) (Q2472837)

A 1983 study by Marušič-Parsons found a Hamiltonian path in every vertex-transitive graphs of order \(4p\), where \(p\) is a prime. This paper shows that a stronger result can be stated that in fact each such graph with the exception of the Coxeter graph has a Hamiltonian cycle. To show this the authors first use so-called imprimitivity block systems to classify vertex transitive graphs on \(4p\) vertices. It turns out that any such graph \(X\) not isomorphic to the Coxeter graph is either Hamiltonian or has an imprimitivity block system with blocks of size \(p\) or \(2p\). Since Hamiltonicity is not established for all cases yet, the authors resort to the following: They take the quotient graph of \(X\) with respect to a \((4,p)\)-semiregular automorphism of \(X\). The six graphs that result were shown to have Hamiltonian paths in the paper of Marušič-Parsons. The authors are then able to apply a technique of Alspach to lift cycles in the quotient graph to a Hamiltonian cycle of \(X\).