Quantum Graphs: A model for Quantum Chaos

We study the statistical properties of the scattering matrix associated with generic quantum graphs. The scattering matrix is the quantum analogue of the classical evolution operator on the graph. For the energy-averaged spectral form factor of the scattering matrix we have recently derived an exact combinatorial expression. It is based on a sum over families of periodic orbits which so far could only be performed in special graphs. Here we present a simple algorithm implementing this summation for any graph. Our results are in excellent agreement with direct numerical simulations for various graphs. Moreover we extend our previous notion of an ensemble of graphs by considering ensemble averages over random boundary conditions imposed at the vertices. We show numerically that the corresponding form factor follows the predictions of random-matrix theory when the number of vertices is large---even when all bond lengths are degenerate. The corresponding combinatorial sum has a structure similar to the one obtained previously by performing an energy average under the assumption of incommensurate bond lengths.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures. Contribution to the conference on Dynamics of Complex Systems, Dresden (1999

Locally ss-distance transitive graphs

We give a unified approach to analysing, for each positive integer $s$, a class of finite connected graphs that contains all the distance transitive graphs as well as the locally $s$-arc transitive graphs of diameter at least $s$. A graph is in the class if it is connected and if, for each vertex $v$, the subgroup of automorphisms fixing $v$ acts transitively on the set of vertices at distance $i$ from $v$, for each $i$ from 1 to $s$. We prove that this class is closed under forming normal quotients. Several graphs in the class are designated as degenerate, and a nondegenerate graph in the class is called basic if all its nontrivial normal quotients are degenerate. We prove that, for $s\geq 2$, a nondegenerate, nonbasic graph in the class is either a complete multipartite graph, or a normal cover of a basic graph. We prove further that, apart from the complete bipartite graphs, each basic graph admits a faithful quasiprimitive action on each of its (1 or 2) vertex orbits, or a biquasiprimitive action. These results invite detailed additional analysis of the basic graphs using the theory of quasiprimitive permutation groups.Comment: Revised after referee report

Trace Formulae and Spectral Statistics for Discrete Laplacians on Regular Graphs (I)

Trace formulae for d-regular graphs are derived and used to express the spectral density in terms of the periodic walks on the graphs under consideration. The trace formulae depend on a parameter w which can be tuned continuously to assign different weights to different periodic orbit contributions. At the special value w=1, the only periodic orbits which contribute are the non back- scattering orbits, and the smooth part in the trace formula coincides with the Kesten-McKay expression. As w deviates from unity, non vanishing weights are assigned to the periodic walks with back-scatter, and the smooth part is modified in a consistent way. The trace formulae presented here are the tools to be used in the second paper in this sequence, for showing the connection between the spectral properties of d-regular graphs and the theory of random matrices.Comment: 22 pages, 3 figure