The Isomorphism Problem of Power Graphs and a Question of Cameron

Abstract: The isomorphism problem for graphs (GI) and the isomorphism problem for groups (GrISO) have been studied extensively by researchers. The current best algorithms for both these problems run in quasipolynomial time. In this paper, we study the isomorphism problem of graphs that are defined in terms of groups, namely power graphs, directed power graphs, and enhanced power graphs. It is not enough to check the isomorphism of the underlying groups to solve the isomorphism problem of such graphs as the power graphs (or the directed power graphs or the enhanced power graphs) of two nonisomorphic groups can be isomorphic. Nevertheless, it is interesting to ask if the underlying group structure can be exploited to design better isomorphism algorithms for these graphs. We design polynomial time algorithms for the isomorphism problems for the power graphs, the directed power graphs and the enhanced power graphs arising from finite nilpotent groups. In contrast, no polynomial time algorithm is known for the group isomorphism problem, even for nilpotent groups of class 2. We note that our algorithm does not require the underlying groups of the input graphs to be given. The isomorphism problems of power graphs and enhanced power graphs are solved by first computing the directed power graphs from the input graphs. The problem of efficiently computing the directed power graph from the power graph or the enhanced power graph is due to Cameron [IJGT'22]. Therefore, we give a solution to Cameron's question.