Shilla distance-regular graphs

A Shilla distance-regular graph G (say with valency k) is a distance-regular graph with diameter 3 such that its second largest eigenvalue equals to a3. We will show that a3 divides k for a Shilla distance-regular graph G, and for G we define b=b(G):=k/a3. In this paper we will show that there are finitely many Shilla distance-regular graphs G with fixed b(G)>=2. Also, we will classify Shilla distance-regular graphs with b(G)=2 and b(G)=3. Furthermore, we will give a new existence condition for distance-regular graphs, in general.Comment: 14 page

On almost distance-regular graphs

Distance-regular graphs are a key concept in Algebraic Combinatorics and have given rise to several generalizations, such as association schemes. Motivated by spectral and other algebraic characterizations of distance-regular graphs, we study `almost distance-regular graphs'. We use this name informally for graphs that share some regularity properties that are related to distance in the graph. For example, a known characterization of a distance-regular graph is the invariance of the number of walks of given length between vertices at a given distance, while a graph is called walk-regular if the number of closed walks of given length rooted at any given vertex is a constant. One of the concepts studied here is a generalization of both distance-regularity and walk-regularity called $m$-walk-regularity. Another studied concept is that of $m$-partial distance-regularity or, informally, distance-regularity up to distance $m$. Using eigenvalues of graphs and the predistance polynomials, we discuss and relate these and other concepts of almost distance-regularity, such as their common generalization of $(\ell,m)$-walk-regularity. We introduce the concepts of punctual distance-regularity and punctual walk-regularity as a fundament upon which almost distance-regular graphs are built. We provide examples that are mostly taken from the Foster census, a collection of symmetric cubic graphs. Two problems are posed that are related to the question of when almost distance-regular becomes whole distance-regular. We also give several characterizations of punctually distance-regular graphs that are generalizations of the spectral excess theorem