We classify the rank two commutative semifields which are 8-dimensional over their center $\mathbb{F}_{q}$. This is done using computational methods utilizing the connection to linear sets in $\mathrm{PG}(2,q^{4})$. We then apply our methods to complete the classification of rank two commutative semifields which are 10-dimensional over $\mathbb{F}_{3}$. The implications of these results are detailed for other geometric structures such as semifield flocks, ovoids of parabolic quadrics, and eggs.
In this paper, we completely determine the isotopism classes of the Budaghyan-Helleseth commutative semifields constructed in [L. Budaghyan, T. Helleseth, New commutative semifields defined by PN multinomials, Crypto. Comm. 3 (1), 2011, p. 1-16].
We present an example of two isotopic but not strongly isotopic commutative semifields. This example shows that a recent result of Coulter and Henderson on semifield of order p^n, n odd, can not be generalized to the case n even.
The projection construction has been used to construct semifields of odd characteristic using a field and a twisted semifield [Commutative semifields from projection mappings, Designs, Codes and Cryptography, 61 (2011), 187--196]. We generalize this idea to a projection construction using two twisted semifields to construct semifields of odd characteristic. Planar functions and semifields have a strong connection so this also constructs new planar functions.
In this article we introduce the notion of the BEL-rank of a finite semifield, prove that it is an invariant for the isotopism classes, and give geometric and algebraic interpretations of this new invariant. Moreover, we describe an efficient method for calculating the BEL-rank, and present computational results for all known small semifields.
We determine the tensor rank of all semifields of order 16 over $\mathbb{F}_2$ and of all semifields of order 81 over $\mathbb{F}_3$. Our results imply that some semifields of order 81 have lower multiplicative complexity than the finite field $\mathbb{F}_{81}$ over $\mathbb{F}_3$. We prove new results on the correspondence between linear codes and tensor rank, including a generalisation of a theorem of Brockett and Dobkin to arbitrary tensors, which makes the problem computationally feasible.
In [U. Dempwolff: More Translation Planes and Semifields from Dembowski-Ostrom Polynomials, Designs, Codes, Cryptogr. \textbf{68} (1-3) (2013), 81-103], the author gives a construction of three classes of rank two semifields of order $q^{2n}$, with $q$ and $n$ odd, using Dembowski-Ostrom polynomials. The question whether these semifields are new, i.e. not isotopic to previous constructions, is left as an open problem. In this paper we solve this problem for $n>3$, in particular we prove that two of these classes, labeled $D_{A}$ and $D_{AB}$, are new for $n>3$, whereas presemifields in family …
Recently, the interest in semifields has increased due to the discovery of several new families and progress in the classification problem. Commutative semifields play an important role since they are equivalent to certain planar functions (in the case of odd characteristic) and to modified planar functions in even characteristic. Similarly, commutative semifields are equivalent to relative difference sets. The goal of this survey is to describe the connection between these concepts. Moreover, we shall discuss power mappings that are planar and consider component functions of planar mappings, …
In [U. Dempwolff: \textit{More Translation Planes and Semifields from Dembowski-Ostrom Polynomials}, Designs, Codes, Cryptogr. \textbf{68} (1-3) (2013), 81--103] three classes of rank two presemifields of order $q^{2n}$, with $q$ and $n$ odd, were exhibited, leaving as an open problem the isotopy issue. In [M. Lavrauw, G. Marino, O. Polverino, R. Trombetti: \textit{Solution to an isotopism question concerning rank 2 semifields}, J. Comb. Des., to appear. DOI: 10.1002/jcd.21382], the authors faced with this problem answering the question whether these presemifields are new for $n>3$. In this pa…
We classify symplectic 4-dimensional semifields over $\mathbb{F}_q$, for $q\leq 9$, thereby extending (and confirming) the previously obtained classifications for $q\leq 7$. The classification is obtained by classifying all symplectic semifield subspaces in $\mathrm{PG}(9,q)$ for $q\leq 9$ up to $K$-equivalence, where $K\leq \mathrm{PGL}(10,q)$ is the lift of $\mathrm{PGL}(4,q)$ under the Veronese embedding of $\mathrm{PG}(3,q)$ in $\mathrm{PG}(9,q)$ of degree two. Our results imply the non-existence of non-associative symplectic 4-dimensional semifields for $q$ even, $q\leq 8$. For $q$ odd, a…
We construct and describe the basic properties of a family of semifields in characteristic $2.$ The construction relies on the properties of projective polynomials over finite fields. We start by associating non-associative products to each such polynomial. The resulting presemifields form the degenerate case of our family. They are isotopic to the Knuth semifields which are quadratic over left and right nucleus. The non-degenerate members of our family display a very different behaviour. Their left and right nucleus agrees with the center, the middle nucleus is quadratic over the center. None…
A new family of commutative semifields with two parameters is presented. Its left and middle nucleus are both determined. Furthermore, we prove that for any different pairs of parameters, these semifields are not isotopic. It is also shown that, for some special parameters, one semifield in this family can lead to two inequivalent planar functions. Finally, using similar construction, new APN functions are given.
In this article we construct a new family of semifields, containing and extending two well-known families, namely Albert's generalised twisted fields and Petit's cyclic semifields (also known as Johnson-Jha semifields). The construction also gives examples of semifields with parameters for which no examples were previously known. In the case of semifields two dimensions over a nucleus and four-dimensional over their centre, the construction gives all possible examples. Furthermore we embed these semifields in a new family of maximum rank-distance codes, encompassing most known current construc…
We prove that there do not exist non-Desarguesian symplectic semifield spreads of PG$(5,q^2)$, $q\geq 2^{14}$ even, whose associated semifield has center containing $\mathbb{F}_q$, by proving that the only $\mathbb{F}_q$-linear set of rank 6 disjoint from the secant variety of the quadric Veronese variety of PG$(5,q^2)$ is a plane with three points of the Veronese surface of PG$(5,q^6)\setminus$PG$(5,q^2)$.
We investigate two fundamental questions intersecting coding theory and combinatorial geometry, with emphasis on their connections. These are the problem of computing the asymptotic density of MRD codes in the rank metric, and the Critical Problem for combinatorial geometries by Crapo and Rota. Using methods from semifield theory, we derive two lower bounds for the density function of full-rank, square MRD codes. The first bound is sharp when the matrix size is a prime number and the underlying field is sufficiently large, while the second bound applies to the binary field. We then take a new …
In this paper we study a family of scattered $\F_q$--linear sets of rank $tn$ of the projective space $PG(2n-1,q^t)$ ($n \geq 1$, $t\geq 3$), called of {\it pseudoregulus type}, generalizing results contained in [G. Marino, O. Polverino, R. Trombetti: On ${\mathbb F}_q$--linear sets of $\PG(3,q^3)$ and semifields, {\em J. Combin. Theory Ser. A}, {\bf 114} (2007), 769--788] and in [M. Lavrauw, G. Van de Voorde: Scattered linear sets and pseudoreguli, preprint]. As an application, we characterize, in terms of the associated linear sets, some classical families of semifields: the Generalized Twis…
We construct a pair of non-commutative rank 8 association schemes from a rank 3 non-symmetric association scheme. For the pair, two association schemes have the same character table but different Frobenius-Schur indicators. This situation is similar to the pair of the dihedral group and the quaternion group of order 8. We also determine the structures of adjacency algebras of them over the rational number field.
We give a generating function for the fully commutative affine permutations enumerated by rank and Coxeter length, extending formulas due to Stembridge and Barcucci--Del Lungo--Pergola--Pinzani. For fixed rank, the length generating functions have coefficients that are periodic with period dividing the rank. In the course of proving these formulas, we obtain results that elucidate the structure of the fully commutative affine permutations.
Linear set in projective spaces over finite fields plays central roles in the study of blocking sets, semifields, rank-metric codes and etc. A linear set with the largest possible cardinality and the maximum rank is called maximum scattered. Despite two decades of study, there are only a few number of known maximum scattered linear sets in projective lines, including the family constructed by Csajbók, Marino, Polverino and Zanella 2018, and the family constructed by Csajbók, Marino, Zullo 2018 (also Marino, Montanucci, and Zullo 2020). This paper aims to solve the equivalence problem of the li…
In this paper, we present a new family of maximum rank distance (MRD for short) codes in $\mathbb F_{q}^{2n\times 2n}$ of minimum distance $2\leq d\leq 2n$. In particular, when $d=2n$, we can show that the corresponding semifield is exactly a Hughes-Kleinfeld semifield. The middle and right nuclei of these MRD codes are both equal to $\mathbb F_{q^n}$. We also prove that the MRD codes of minimum distance $2<d<2n$ in this family are inequivalent to all known ones. The equivalence between any two members of this new family is also determined.
We determine the proportion of $[3\times 3;3]$-MRD codes over ${\mathbb F}_q$ within the space of all $3$-dimensional $3\times3$-rank-metric codes over the same field. This shows that for these parameters MRD codes are sparse in the sense that the proportion tends to $0$ as $q\rightarrow\infty$. This is so far the only parameter case for which MRD codes are known to be sparse. The computation is accomplished by reducing the space of all such rank-metric codes to a space of specific bases and subsequently making use of a result by Menichetti (1973) on 3-dimensional semifields.
The minimum rank of a graph G is the minimum rank over all real symmetric matrices whose off-diagonal sparsity pattern is the same as that of the adjacency matrix of G. In this note we present the first exact algorithm for the minimum rank of an arbitrary graph G. In particular, we use the notion of determinantal rank to transform the minimum rank problem into a system of polynomial equations that can be solved by computational tools from algebraic geometry and commutative algebra. We provide computational results, explore possibilities for improvement, and discuss how the algorithm can be ext…
We prove a conjecture of Kontsevich regarding the solutions of rank two recursion relations for non-commutative variables which, in the commutative case, reduce to rank two cluster algebras of affine type. The conjecture states that solutions are positive Laurent polynomials in the initial cluster variables. We prove this by use of a non-commutative version of the path models which we used for the commutative case.
We study polynomial generalizations of the Kontsevich automorphisms acting on the skew-field of formal rational expressions in two non-commuting variables. Our main result is the Laurentness and pseudo-positivity of iterations of these automorphisms. The resulting expressions are described combinatorially using a generalization of the combinatorics of compatible pairs in a maximal Dyck path developed by Lee, Li, and Zelevinsky. By specializing to quasi-commuting variables we obtain pseudo-positive expressions for rank 2 quantum generalized cluster variables. In the binomial case when all inter…
In this article we determine feasible parameter sets for (what could potentially be) commutative association schemes with noncyclotomic eigenvalues that are of smallest possible rank and order. A feasible parameter set for a commutative association scheme corresponds to a standard integral table algebra with integral multiplicities that satisfies all of the parameter restrictions known to hold for association schemes. For each rank and involution type, we generate an algebraic variety for which any suitable integral solution corresponds to a standard integral table algebra with integral multip…
We study the representations of non-commutative universal lattices and use them to compute lower bounds for the \TauC for the commutative universal lattices $G_{d,k}= \SL_d(\Z[x_1,...,x_k])$ with respect to several generating sets. As an application of the above result we show that the Cayley graphs of the finite groups $\SL_{3k}(\F_p)$ can be made expanders using suitable choice of the generators. This provides the first examples of expander families of groups of Lie type where the rank is not bounded and gives a natural (and explicit) counter examples to two conjectures of Alex Lubotzky and …
