arXiv subjects

Ferdinando Zullo

Publications and source records attributed to Ferdinando Zullo.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Linearized trinomials with maximum kernel

Linearized polynomials have attracted a lot of attention because of their applications in both geometric and algebraic areas. Let $q$ be a prime power, $n$ be a positive integer and $σ$ be a generator of $\mathrm{Gal}(\mathbb{F}_{q^n}\colon\mathbb{F}_q)$. In this paper we provide closed formulas for the coefficients of a $σ$-trinomial $f$ over $\mathbb{F}_{q^n}$ which ensure that the dimension of the kernel of $f$ equals its $σ$-degree, that is linearized polynomials with maximum kernel. As a consequence, we present explicit examples of linearized trinomials with maximum kernel and characterize those having $σ$-degree $3$ and $4$. Our techniques rely on the tools developed in [24]. Finally, we apply these results to investigate a class of rank metric codes introduced in [8], to construct quasi-subfield polynomials and cyclic subspace codes, obtaining new explicit constructions to the conjecture posed in [37].

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arXiv2021

Decoding a class of maximum Hermitian rank metric codes

Maximum Hermitian rank metric codes were introduced by Schmidt in 2018 and in this paper we propose both interpolation-based encoding and decoding algorithms for this family of codes when the length and the minimum distance of the code are both odd.

cs.IT↗

arXiv2021

On interpolation-based decoding of a class of maximum rank distance codes

In this paper we present an interpolation-based decoding algorithm to decode a family of maximum rank distance codes proposed recently by Trombetti and Zhou. We employ the properties of the Dickson matrix associated with a linearized polynomial with a given rank and the modified Berlekamp-Massey algorithm in decoding. When the rank of the error vector attains the unique decoding radius, the problem is converted to solving a quadratic polynomial, which ensures that the proposed decoding algorithm has polynomial-time complexity.

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arXiv2021

Extending two families of maximum rank distance codes

In this paper we provide a large family of rank-metric codes, which contains properly the codes recently found by Longobardi and Zanella (2021) and by Longobardi, Marino, Trombetti and Zhou (2021). These codes are $\mathbb{F}_{q^{2t}}$-linear of dimension $2$ in the space of linearized polynomials over $\mathbb{F}_{q^{2t}}$, where $t$ is any integer greater than $2$, and we prove that they are maximum rank distance codes. For $t\ge 5$, we determine their equivalence classes and these codes turn out to be inequivalent to any other construction known so far, and hence they are really new.

cs.IT↗

arXiv2021

On the list decodability of rank-metric codes containing Gabidulin codes

Wachter-Zeh in [42], and later together with Raviv [31], proved that Gabidulin codes cannot be efficiently list decoded for any radius $τ$, providing that $τ$ is large enough. Also, they proved that there are infinitely many choices of the parameters for which Gabidulin codes cannot be efficiently list decoded at all. Subsequently, in [41] these results have been extended to the family of generalized Gabidulin codes and to further family of MRD-codes. In this paper, we provide bounds on the list size of rank-metric codes containing generalized Gabidulin codes in order to determine whether or not a polynomial-time list decoding algorithm exists. We detect several families of rank-metric codes containing a generalized Gabidulin code as subcode which cannot be efficiently list decoded for any radius large enough and families of rank-metric codes which cannot be efficiently list decoded. These results suggest that rank-metric codes which are $\mathbb{F}_{q^m}$-linear or that contains a (power of) generalized Gabidulin code cannot be efficiently list decoded for large values of the radius.

cs.IT↗

arXiv2021

Investigating the exceptionality of scattered polynomials

Scattered polynomials over a finite field $\mathbb{F}_{q^n}$ have been introduced by Sheekey in 2016, and a central open problem regards the classification of those that are exceptional. So far, only two families of exceptional scattered polynomials are known. Very recently, Longobardi and Zanella weakened the property of being scattered by introducing the notion of L-$q^t$-partially scattered and R-$q^t$-partially scattered polynomials, for $t$ a divisor of $n$. Indeed, a polynomial is scattered if and only if it is both L-$q^t$-partially scattered and R-$q^t$-partially scattered. In this paper, by using techniques from algebraic geometry over finite fields and function fields theory, we show that the property which is is the hardest to be preserved is the L-$q^t$-partially scattered one. On the one hand, we are able to extend the classification results of exceptional scattered polynomials to exceptional L-$q^t$-partially scattered polynomials. On the other hand, the R-$q^t$-partially scattered property seems more stable. We present a large family of R-$q^t$-partially scattered polynomials, containing examples of exceptional R-$q^t$-partially scattered polynomials, which turn out to be connected with linear sets of so-called pseudoregulus type. In order to detect new examples of polynomials which are R-$q^t$-partially scattered, we introduce two different notions of equivalence preserving this property and concerning natural actions of the groups ${\rm ΓL}(2,q^n)$ and ${\rm ΓL}(2n/t,q^t)$. In particular, our family contains many examples of inequivalent polynomials, and geometric arguments are used to determine the equivalence classes under the action of ${\rm ΓL}(2n/t,q^t)$.

math.CO↗

arXiv2020

$r$-fat linearized polynomials over finite fields

In this paper we prove that the property of being scattered for a $\mathbb{F}_q$-linearized polynomial of small $q$-degree over a finite field $\mathbb{F}_{q^n}$ is unstable, in the sense that, whenever the corresponding linear set has at least one point of weight larger than one, the polynomial is far from being scattered. To this aim, we define and investigate $r$-fat polynomials, a natural generalization of scattered polynomials. An $r$-fat $\mathbb{F}_q$-linearized polynomial defines a linear set of rank $n$ in the projective line of order $q^n$ with $r$ points of weight larger than one. When $r$ equals $1$, the corresponding linear sets are called clubs, and they are related with a number of remarkable mathematical objects like KM-arcs, group divisible designs and rank metric codes. Using techniques on algebraic curves and global function fields, we obtain numerical bounds for $r$ and the non-existence of exceptional $r$-fat polynomials with $r>0$. In the case $n\leq 4$, we completely determine the spectrum of values of $r$ for which an $r$-fat polynomial exists. In the case $n=5$, we provide a new family of $1$-fat polynomials. Furthermore, we determine the values of $r$ for which the so-called LP-polynomials are $r$-fat.

math.CO↗

arXiv2020

On maximum additive Hermitian rank-metric codes

Inspired by the work of Zhou "On equivalence of maximum additive symmetric rank-distance codes" (2020) based on the paper of Schmidt "Symmetric bilinear forms over finite fields with applications to coding theory" (2015), we investigate the equivalence issue of maximum $d$-codes of Hermitian matrices. More precisely, in the space $\mathrm{H}_n(q^2)$ of Hermitian matrices over $\mathbb{F}_{q^2}$ we have two possible equivalence: the classical one coming from the maps that preserve the rank in $\mathbb{F}_{q^2}^{n\times n}$, and the one that comes from restricting to those maps preserving both the rank and the space $\mathrm{H}_n(q^2)$. We prove that when $d<n$ and the codes considered are maximum additive $d$-codes and $(n-d)$-designs, these two equivalence relations coincide. As a consequence, we get that the idealisers of such codes are not distinguishers, unlike what usually happens for rank metric codes. Finally, we deal with the combinatorial properties of known maximum Hermitian codes and, by means of this investigation, we present a new family of maximum Hermitian $2$-code, extending the construction presented by Longobardi et al. in "Automorphism groups and new constructions of maximum additive rank metric codes with restrictions" (2020).

math.CO↗

arXiv2020

Generalising the scattered property of subspaces

Let $V$ be an $r$-dimensional $\mathbb{F}_{q^n}$-vector space. We call an $\mathbb{F}_q$-subspace $U$ of $V$ $h$-scattered if $U$ meets the $h$-dimensional $\mathbb{F}_{q^n}$-subspaces of $V$ in $\mathbb{F}_q$-subspaces of dimension at most $h$. In 2000 Blokhuis and Lavrauw proved that $\dim_{\mathbb{F}_q} U \leq rn/2$ when $U$ is $1$-scattered. Subspaces attaining this bound have been investigated intensively because of their relations with projective two-weight codes and strongly regular graphs. MRD-codes with a maximum idealiser have also been linked to $rn/2$-dimensional $1$-scattered subspaces and to $n$-dimensional $(r-1)$-scattered subspaces. In this paper we prove the upper bound $rn/(h+1)$ for the dimension of $h$-scattered subspaces, $h>1$, and construct examples with this dimension. We study their intersection numbers with hyperplanes, introduce a duality relation among them, and study the equivalence problem of the corresponding linear sets.

math.CO↗

arXiv2020

Scattered subspaces and related codes

After a seminal paper by Shekeey (2016), a connection between maximum $h$-scattered $\mathbb{F}_q$-subspaces of $V(r,q^n)$ and maximum rank distance (MRD) codes has been established in the extremal cases $h=1$ and $h=r-1$. In this paper, we propose a connection for any $h\in\{1,\ldots,r-1\}$, extending and unifying all the previously known ones. As a consequence, we obtain examples of non-square MRD codes which are not equivalent to generalized Gabidulin or twisted Gabidulin codes. Up to equivalence, we classify MRD codes having the same parameters as the ones in our connection. Also, we determine the weight distribution of codes related to the geometric counterpart of maximum $h$-scattered subspaces.

math.CO↗

arXiv2020

On the number of roots of some linearized polynomials

Linearized polynomials appear in many different contexts, such as rank metric codes, cryptography and linear sets, and the main issue regards the characterization of the number of roots from their coefficients. Results of this type have been already proved in [7,10,24]. In this paper we provide bounds and characterizations on the number of roots of linearized polynomials of this form \[ ax+b_0x^σ+b_1x^{σq^n}+b_2x^{σq^{2n}}+\ldots+b_{t-1}x^{σq^{n(t-1)}} \in \mathbb{F}_{q^{nt}}[x], \] with $σ$ a generator of the Galois group $\mathrm{Gal}(\mathbb{F}_{q^n}\colon\mathbb{F}_q)$. Also, we characterize the number of roots of such polynomials directly from their coefficients, dealing with matrices which are much smaller than the relative Dickson matrices and the companion matrices used in the previous papers. Furthermore, we develop a method to find explicitly the roots of a such polynomial by finding the roots of a $q^n$-polynomial. Finally, as an applications of the above results, we present a family of linear sets of the projective line whose points have a small spectrum of possible weights, containing most of the known families of scattered linear sets. In particular, we carefully study the linear sets in $\mathrm{PG}(1,q^6)$ presented in [9].

math.CO↗

arXiv2020

Codes with few weights arising from linear sets

In this article we present a class of codes with few weights arising from special type of linear sets. We explicitly show the weights of such codes, their weight enumerator and possible choices for their generator matrices. In particular, our construction yields also to linear codes with three weights and, in some cases, to almost MDS codes. The interest for these codes relies on their applications to authentication codes and secret schemes, and their connections with further objects such as association schemes and graphs.

math.CO↗

arXiv2020

On certain linearized polynomials with high degree and kernel of small dimension

Let $f$ be the $\mathbb{F}_q$-linear map over $\mathbb{F}_{q^{2n}}$ defined by $x\mapsto x+ax^{q^s}+bx^{q^{n+s}}$ with $\gcd(n,s)=1$. It is known that the kernel of $f$ has dimension at most $2$, as proved by Csajbók et al. in "A new family of MRD-codes" (2018). For $n$ big enough, e.g. $n\geq5$ when $s=1$, we classify the values of $b/a$ such that the kernel of $f$ has dimension at most $1$. To this aim, we translate the problem into the study of some algebraic curves of small degree with respect to the degree of $f$; this allows to use intersection theory and function field theory together with the Hasse-Weil bound. Our result implies a non-scatteredness result for certain high degree scattered binomials, and the asymptotic classification of a family of rank metric codes.

math.CO↗

arXiv2020

On the intersection problem for linear sets in the projective line

The aim of this paper is to investigate the intersection problem between two linear sets in the projective line over a finite field. In particular, we analyze the intersection between two clubs with eventually different maximum fields of linearity. Also, we analyze the intersection between the linear set defined by the polynomial $αx^{q^k}+βx$ and other linear sets having the same rank; this family contains the linear set of pseudoregulus type defined by $x^q$. The strategy relies on the study of certain algebraic curves whose rational points describe the intersection of the two linear sets. Among other geometric and algebraic tools, function field theory and the Hasse-Weil bound play a crucial role. As an application, we give asymptotic results on semifields of BEL-rank two.

math.CO↗

arXiv2020

On the list decodability of Rank Metric codes

Let $k,n,m \in \mathbb{Z}^+$ integers such that $k\leq n \leq m$, let $\mathrm{G}_{n,k}\in \mathbb{F}_{q^m}^n$ be a Delsarte-Gabidulin code. Wachter-Zeh proven that codes belonging to this family cannot be efficiently list decoded for any radius $τ$, providing $τ$ is large enough. This achievement essentially relies on proving a lower bound for the list size of some specific words in $\mathbb{F}_{q^m}^n \setminus \mathrm{G}_{n,k}$. In 2016, Raviv and Wachter-Zeh improved this bound in a special case, i.e. when $n\mid m$. As a consequence, they were able to detect infinite families of Delsarte-Gabidulin codes that cannot be efficiently list decoded at all. In this article we determine similar lower bounds for Maximum Rank Distance codes belonging to a wider class of examples, containing Generalized Gabidulin codes, Generalized Twisted Gabidulin codes, and examples recently described by the first author and Yue Zhou. By exploiting arguments suchlike those used in the above mentioned papers, when $n\mid m$, we also show infinite families of generalized Gabidulin codes that cannot be list decoded efficiently at any radius greater than or equal to $\left\lfloor \frac{d-1}2 \right\rfloor+1$, where $d$ is its minimum distance. Nonetheless, in all other examples belonging to above mentioned class, we detect infinite families that cannot be list decoded efficiently at any radius greater than or equal to $\left\lfloor \frac{d-1}2 \right\rfloor+2$, where $d$ is its minimum distance. Finally, relying on the properties of a set of subspace trinomials recently presented by McGuire and Mueller, we are able to prove that any rank metric code of $\mathbb{F}_{q^m}^n$ of order $q^{kn}$ with $n$ dividing $m$, such that $4n-3$ is a square in $\mathbb{Z}$ and containing $\mathrm{G}_{n,2}$, is not efficiently list decodable at some values of the radius $τ$.

cs.IT↗

arXiv2020

A new family of maximum scattered linear sets in $\mathrm{PG}(1,q^6)$

We generalize the example of linear set presented by the last two authors in "Vertex properties of maximum scattered linear sets of $\mathrm{PG}(1,q^n)$" (2019) to a more general family, proving that such linear sets are maximum scattered when $q$ is odd and, apart from a special case, they are are new. This solves an open problem posed in "Vertex properties of maximum scattered linear sets of $\mathrm{PG}(1,q^n)$" (2019). As a consequence of Sheekey's results in "A new family of linear maximum rank distance codes" (2016), this family yields to new MRD-codes with parameters $(6,6,q;5)$.

math.CO↗

arXiv2020

Connections between scattered linear sets and MRD-codes

The aim of this paper is to survey on the known results on maximum scattered linear sets and MRD-codes. In particular, we investigate the link between these two areas. In "A new family of linear maximum rank distance codes" (2016) Sheekey showed how maximum scattered linear sets of $\mathrm{PG}(1,q^n)$ define square MRD-codes. Later in "Maximum scattered linear sets and MRD-codes" (2017) maximum scattered linear sets in $\mathrm{PG}(r-1,q^n)$, $r>2$, were used to construct non square MRD-codes. Here, we point out a new relation regarding the other direction. We also provide an alternative proof of the well-known Blokhuis-Lavrauw's bound for the rank of maximum scattered linear sets shown in "Scattered spaces with respect to a spread in $\mathrm{PG}(n,q)$" (2000).

math.CO↗

arXiv2020

Linear sets from projection of Desarguesian spreads

Every linear set in a Galois space is the projection of a subgeometry, and most known characterizations of linear sets are given under this point of view. For instance, scattered linear sets of pseudoregulus type are obtained by considering a Desarguesian spread of a subgeometry and projecting from a vertex which is spanned by all but two director spaces. In this paper we introduce the concept of linear sets of $h$-pseudoregulus type, which turns out to be projected from the span of an arbitrary number of director spaces of a Desarguesian spread of a subgeometry. Among these linear sets, we characterize those which are $h$-scattered and solve the equivalence problem between them; a key role is played by an algebraic tool recently introduced in the literature and known as Moore exponent set. As a byproduct, we classify asymptotically $h$-scattered linear sets of $h$-pseudoregulus type.

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