Codes and Designs in Johnson Graphs From Symplectic Actions on Quadratic Forms

Abstract

The Johnson graph $J(v, k)$ has as vertices the $k$-subsets of $\mathcal{V}=\{1,\ldots, v\}$, and two vertices are joined by an edge if their intersection has size $k-1$. An \emph{$X$-strongly incidence-transitive code} in $J (v, k)$ is a proper vertex subset $\Gamma$ such that the subgroup $X$ of graph automorphisms leaving $\Gamma$ invariant is transitive on the set $\Gamma$ of `codewords', and for each codeword $\Delta$, the setwise stabiliser $X_\Delta$ is transitive on $\Delta \times (\mathcal{V}\setminus \Delta)$. We classify the \emph{$X$-strongly incidence-transitive codes} in $J(v,k)$ for which $X$ is the symplectic group $\mathrm{Sp}_{2n}(2)$ acting as a $2$-transitive permutation group of degree $2^{2n-1}\pm 2^{n-1}$, where the stabiliser $X_\Delta$ of a codeword $\Delta$ is contained in a \emph{geometric} maximal subgroup of $X$. In particular, we construct two new infinite families of strongly incidence-transitive codes associated with the reducible maximal subgroups of $\mathrm{Sp}_{2n}(2)$.