Ramanujan bigraphs associated with $SU(3)$ over a $p$-adic field

Abstract

We use the representation theory of the quasisplit form G of SU(3) over a p-adic field to investigate whether certain quotients of the Bruhat-Tits tree associated to this form are Ramanujan bigraphs. We show that a quotient of the tree associated with G (which is a biregular bigraph) is Ramanujan if and only if G satisfies a Ramanujan type conjecture. This result is analogous to the seminal case of PGL 2 (Q p ) considered by Lubotzky, Phillips, and Sarnak. As a consequence, the classification of the automorphic spectrum of the unitary group in three variables by Rogawski implies the existence of certain infinite families of Ramanujan bigraphs.