Bose-Mesner algebra on finite G/H coset graphs and its application on continuous time quantum walks

Abstract

Continuous-time quantum walk (CTQW) over finite group schemes is investigated, where it is shown that some properties of a CTQW over a group scheme defined on a finite group G induces a CTQW over group scheme defined on G/H, where H is a normal subgroup of G with prime index. This reduction can be helpful in analyzing CTQW on underlying graphs of group schemes. Even though this claim is proved for normal subgroups with prime index (using the Clifford's theorem from representation theory), it is checked in some examples that for other normal subgroups or even non-normal subgroups, the result is also true! Moreover, it is shown that the Bose-Mesner (BM) algebra associated with the group scheme over G is isomorphic to the corresponding BM algebra of the association scheme defined over the coset space G/H up to the scale factor |H|. In fact, we show that the underlying graph defined over group G is a covering space for the quotient graph defined over G/H, so that CTQW over the graph on G, starting from any arbitrary vertex, is isomorphic to the CTQW over the quotient graph on G/H if we take the sum of the amplitudes corresponding to the vertices belonging to the same cosets.