Simple eigenvalues of cubic vertex-transitive graphs

Abstract

Abstract If ${\mathbf v} \in {\mathbb R}^{V(X)}$ is an eigenvector for eigenvalue $\lambda $ of a graph X and $\alpha $ is an automorphism of X, then $\alpha ({\mathbf v})$ is also an eigenvector for $\lambda $ . Thus, it is rather exceptional for an eigenvalue of a vertex-transitive graph to have multiplicity one. We study cubic vertex-transitive graphs with a nontrivial simple eigenvalue, and discover remarkable connections to arc-transitivity, regular maps, and number theory.