Hyper-Kloosterman sums and their applications to the coding theory (Q5949975)

Let \(q=p^r\), \(p\) a prime, and let \(\text{GF}(q)^*\) denote the nonzero elements in a finite field with \(q\) elements. Let \(\text{tr}(\cdot)\) denote the trace function from \(\text{GF}(q)\) to \(\text{GF}(p)\). The hyper-Kloosterman sums of degree \(m-1\), \(m\geq 2\), are defined by \[ K_m(a;q)= \sum_{x\in (\text{GF}(q)^*)^{m-1}} e(\text{Tr}(a,x)), \] where \(e(x)= \exp(2\pi ix/p)\), \(\text{Tr}(a,x)= \text{tr} (a_1x_1+ a_2x_2+\dots+ a_{m-1}x_{m-1}+ a_m(x_1x_2\cdots x_{m-1})^{-1})\) for \(a= (a_1, a_2,\dots, a_m)\in \text{GF}(q)^m\) and \(x= (x_1,x_2,\dots, x_m)\). In the special case \(m=2\) this reduces to the ordinary Kloosterman sum. The hyper-Kloosterman code is defined as the code \(C_m(q)\) where the codewords are given by the image of the map \[ \varphi_m: \text{GF}(q)^m\to \text{GF} (p)^{(q-1)^{m-1}} \] where \(\varphi_m(a)= (\text{Tr} (a,x))_{x\in (\text{GF} (q)^*)^{m-1}}\). Properties of the hyper-Kloosterman code are studied. The weight of the codewords of this code can be expressed in terms of the hyper-Kloosterman sums. A uniform distribution for the weights of the codewords is derived in the case \(m\) is even and \(p-1\) divides \(m\). Further, divisibility conditions on the weights of the codewords are given. The binary hyper-Kloosterman codes \(C_m(2^r)\) is shown to be double-even (all weights divisible by 4) if \(m\geq 3\) and \(r\geq 3\).