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Let $\Gamma=Cay(G,S)$ be a Cayley graph over a group $G$, $H$ be a proper subgroup of $G$ and $\Sigma=Cay(H,T)$ where $S$ and $T$ are inversed-closed subsets of $G$ and $H$ not containing idendity, respectively. Is there any relation between $Aut(\Gamma)$ and $Aut(\Sigma)$ in general? When $T=H\cap S$, what can we say?

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  • $\begingroup$ I want a relation according to decomposition of groups (direct product, ...) $\endgroup$ Feb 28, 2013 at 15:22
  • $\begingroup$ For example, If $G=\Bbb Z_4=<a>$, $H=<a^2>$, $S=\{a,a^3}$ and $T=H\cap S=\emptyset$, then $Aut(\Gamma)=S_2\wr S_2$ and $Aut(\Sigma)=S_2$ where $\wr$ denotes the wreath product of groups and $S_2$ is the symmetric group of 2 letters. $\endgroup$ Feb 28, 2013 at 15:26

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I am reasonably confident that the real answer to your question is "No". For example, if $T=H\setminus 1$ then the automorphism group of $\mathrm{Cay}(H,T)$ is the full symmetric group. For another, take $S=T$; then $\Gamma$ will have a large automorphism graph, a wreath product. (If you want your Cayley graphs connected, take complements.) So adding generators may reduce symmetry, or increase it.

Note that questions phrased as you have are a bit difficult to answer, since the answer depends on what you mean by "any relation between".

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  • $\begingroup$ Dear Prof. Godsil, thanks for your answer. I guess that when $T=H\cap S$, then one can give a decomposition of $Aut(\Gamma)$ (such as semidirect product, wreath product,...) which one of its factors is $Aut(\Sigma)$. Is this guess true? $\endgroup$ Feb 28, 2013 at 20:17
  • $\begingroup$ It is not true. As an extreme case, take a Cayley graph for a simple group where the connection set contains an involution and the vertex stabilizer of the graph is trivial. Let $T$ be the involution and $H$ be the subgroup it generates; then there is no decomposition of the automorphism group. $\endgroup$ Feb 28, 2013 at 21:22
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I don't know how interested you are in the kinds of things that happen in infinite groups, but this question does have some general interest in that setting.

It seems to be quite common, for example, that $G$ has finite index in the automorphism group of its Cayley graph. This is true, for example, for many examples of lattices in Lie groups, as Alex Furman has noted. For a very specific example, this is true for the fundamental group of a closed surface of genus $g$ with the standard presentation $$\langle a_1,b_1,\ldots,a_g b_g \quad | \quad [a_1,b_1] \ldots [a_g,b_g] \rangle $$

At a different extreme, for free groups with their standard generating set, the automorphism group of the Cayley graph is a locally compact topological group locally homeomorphic to the Cantor set, and hence the free group has uncountable index.

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  • $\begingroup$ Thanks a lot for your responsibility. I am interest to finite groups. $\endgroup$ Mar 1, 2013 at 5:14

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