Regular maps from Cayley graphs. I: Balanced Cayley maps (Q686308)

Let \(G\) be a finite group, generated by \(\Omega\), closed under inverses and not containing the identity. A 2-cell imbedding of the Cayley graph \(\text{C}(G,\Omega)\) into a closed orientable 2-manifold determines, for each vertex of \(\text{C}(G,\Omega)\), a cyclic permutation of \(\Omega\); if these permutations are all the same \((p: \Omega\to \Omega)\), the map is called a Cayley map \(\text{CM}(G,\Omega,p)\). Cayley maps have been studied, for example, by \textit{N. Biggs} [Proc. Cambridge Philos. Soc. 72, 381-386 (1972; Zbl 0243.05104)]\ and by \textit{N. L. Biggs} and \textit{A. T. White} [Permutation groups and combinatorial structures (1979; Zbl 0415.05002)]. If \(p(\omega^{-1})= (p(\omega))^{-1}\), for all \(\omega\) in \(\Omega\), the Cayley map is said to be balanced. It is said to be regular if \(\Aut\text{CM}(G,\Omega,p)= | G| |\Omega|\) and reversible if there is a Cayley graph automorphism reversing oriented region boundaries. In this paper conditions are given for a balanced Cayley map to be regular or reversible (extending the work of Biggs and White), and the corresponding automorphism groups are determined. A characterization is given, for balanced Cayley maps \(\text{CM}(G,\Omega,p)\) having \(\Omega\) involution-free (among the class of \(2d\)-valent regular maps). A sequel to this paper will replace the condition \(p(\omega^{-1})=(p(\omega))^{-1}\) with \(p(\omega^{- 1})=(p^{-1}(\omega))^{-1}\).