Waring's problem for polynomial cubes and squares over a finite field with odd characteristic (Q1430620)

Let \(q\) be a power of an odd prime \(p\), and \({\mathbb F}_q\) be the finite field with \(q\) elements. The subject of the paper is Waring's problem for squares and cubes in \({\mathbb F}_q[t]\), the polynomial ring over \({\mathbb F}_q\). More precisely, the author seeks a representation of each \(P\in{\mathbb F}_q[t]\) in the form \(P=c_1^3+\cdots+c_g^3+d_1^2+\cdots+d_h^2\) where \(c_i\), \(d_j\in{\mathbb F}_q[t]\), \(\deg(c_i^3)<\deg(P)+3\) and \(\deg(d_j^2)<\deg(P)+2\) for all \(i\) and \(j\). For example, when \(h=1\), as well as when \(h=2\), he gives upper and lower bounds for the least \(g\) such that every \(P\in{\mathbb F}_q[t]\) may be written in the above form. In particular, it is proved that every \(P\in{\mathbb F}_q[t]\) admits such a representation in the following cases: (1) \(g=5\) and \(h=1\) when \(p\neq3\) and \(q\neq7\), 13; (2) \(g=6\) and \(h=1\) when \(q=7\) or 13; (3) \(g=4\) and \(h=2\) when \(p\neq3\) and \(q\neq7\); (4) \(g=5\) and \(h=2\) when \(q=7\); (5) \(g=3\) and \(h=2\) when \(p\neq3\) and \(q\equiv1\) (mod 4); (6) \(g=1\) and \(h=3\) when \(p=3\). Also, it is shown that if we ignore the conditions on the degrees of \(c_i\) and \(d_j\) above, then every \(P\in{\mathbb F}_q[t]\) may be written as \(P=c_1^3+c_2^3+d_1^2\) with \(c_1\), \(c_2\), \(d_1\in{\mathbb F}_q[t]\) when \(p\neq3\). The methods of the proof are elementary and direct, being based on certain interesting identities.