Generating graphs with symmetry

Abstract

In the field of complex networks and graph theory, new results are typically tested on graphs generated by a variety of algorithms such as the Erdös-Rényi model or the Barabási-Albert model. Unfortunately, most graph generating algorithms do not typically create graphs with symmetries, which have been shown to have an important role on the network dynamics. Here, we present an algorithm to generate graphs with prescribed symmetries. The algorithm can also be used to generate graphs with a prescribed equitable partition but possibly without any symmetry. We also use our graph generator to examine the recently raised question about the relation between the orbits of the automorphism group and a graph’s minimal equitable partition.