The enumeration of symmetric circulants of fixed rank over a finite field (Q1086565)

In this paper the problem of the enumeration of \(n\times n\) symmetric circulant matrices with their elements in the finite field GF(q) and with their rank r fixed is considered. The numerator \(S(t)=\sum^{n}_{r=0}S_ rt^ r\) of the corresponding numbers \(S_ r=S_ r(q,n)\) is found; it appears to be an expression depending on some arithmetic functions of two variables n and q. So the author develops here \textit{E. Berlekamp}'s method [Duke Math. J. 33, 45-48 (1966; Zbl 0138.013)] for enumerating circulant matrices and gives as corollaries the results of \textit{F. MacWilliams} [J. Comb. Theory, Ser. A 10, 1-17 (1971; Zbl 0219.15005)] and \textit{K. Byrd} and \textit{V. Vaughan} [J. Comb. Theory, Ser. A 24, 34-49 (1978; Zbl 0377.20041)] about nonsingular symmetric circulant matrices. The deduction of the expression for S(t) includes a method for finding all symmetric circulants with fixed rank. This deduction is based on the fact, that finding the number \(S_ r(q,n)\) is equivalent to the question of indicating the number of all polynomials f(x)\(\in GF(q)[x]\) having the degree \(\leq n\) and satisfying the following two conditions: f(x)\(\equiv f(x^{n-1})(mod(x^ n-1))\) and \(\deg (g.c.d. (f(x),\quad x^ n-1))=n-r.\)