Generalized Paley graphs equienergetic with their complements

Abstract

We consider generalized Paley graphs $\Gamma(k,q)$, generalized Paley sum graphs $\Gamma^+(k,q)$, and their corresponding complements $\bar \Gamma(k,q)$ and $\bar \Gamma^+(k,q)$, for $k=3,4$. Denote by $\Gamma = \Gamma^*(k,q)$ either $\Gamma(k,q)$ or $\Gamma^+(k,q)$. We compute the spectra of $\Gamma(3,q)$ and $\Gamma(4,q)$ and from them we obtain the spectra of $\Gamma^+(3,q)$ and $\Gamma^+(4,q)$ also. Then we show that, in the non-semiprimitive case, the spectrum of $\Gamma(3,p^{3\ell})$ and $\Gamma(4,p^{4\ell})$ with $p$ prime can be recursively obtained, under certain arithmetic conditions, from the spectrum of the graphs $\Gamma(3,p)$ and $\Gamma(4,p)$ for any $\ell \in \mathbb{N}$, respectively. Using the spectra of these graphs we give necessary and sufficient conditions on the spectrum of $\Gamma^*(k,q)$ such that $\Gamma^*(k,q)$ and $\bar \Gamma^*(k,q)$ are equienergetic for $k=3,4$. In a previous work we have classified all bipartite regular graphs $\Gamma_{bip}$ and all strongly regular graphs $\Gamma_{srg}$ which are complementary equienergetic, i.e.\@ $\{\Gamma_{bip}, \bar{\Gamma}_{bip}\}$ and $\{\Gamma_{srg}, \bar{\Gamma}_{srg}\}$ are equienergetic pairs of graphs. Here we construct infinite pairs of equienergetic non-isospectral regular graphs $\{\Gamma, \bar \Gamma\}$ which are neither bipartite nor strongly regular.