Affine distance-transitive graphs with quadratic forms (Q5288345)

The classification of all finite primitive distance-transitive graphs is basically divided into two cases. In the one case, known as the almost simple case, we have an almost simple group acting primitively as a group of automorphisms on the graph. In the other case, known as the affine case, the vertices of the graph can be identified with the vectors of a finite-dimensional vector space over some finite field. In this case the automorphism group \(G\) of the graph \(\Gamma\) contains a normal \(p\)- subgroup \(N\) which is elementary Abelian and acts regularly on the set of vertices of \(\Gamma\). Let \(G_ 0\) be the subgroup of \(G\) that stabilizes a vertex. Identifying the vertices of \(\Gamma\) with \(G_ 0\)-cosets in \(G\), one obtains a vector space \(V\) on which \(N\) acts as a group of translations, \(G_ 0\) stabilizes 0 and, as \(\Gamma\) is primitive, \(G_ 0\) acts irreducibly on \(V\). Recently it was shown that this group \(G_ 0\) is essentially an almost simple group. Combining the classification of finite simple groups with a diameter bound as in our thesis (Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht, 1990), a list of groups and modules can be obtained. Thus the problem is reduced to a question about the orbit structure of finite non-Abelian simple groups acting on small-dimensional modules. It turned out that in many cases the action of \(G_ 0\) on \(V\) leaves a unitary or orthogonal form invariant. Hence one can partition the \(G_ 0\)-orbits into two classes, the singular vectors and the nonsingular vectors, those vectors on which the form vanishes and those on which it does not. The aim of this paper is to exploit this geometric structure in order to classify all primitive affine distance-transitive graphs which leave some non-degenerate unitary or orthogonal form invariant. If the diameter of \(\Gamma\) is equal to 2, then the group \(G_ 0\) has only 3 orbits on \(V\); hence \(G\) is a so-called affine rank 3 group and is known (cf. \textit{M. W. Liebeck} [Proc. Lond. Math. Soc., III. Ser. 54, 477-516 (1987; Zbl 0621.20001)]). In fact there are two graphs associated with \(G\), one being the complement of the other, constructed by calling two vectors adjacent whenever their difference is a nonsingular or singular vector, respectively.