Dense families of modular curves, prime numbers and uniform symmetric tensor rank of multiplication in certain finite fields (Q1727366)

The paper provides new upper bounds for the so called symmetric tensor rank of multiplication in finite extensions \(\mathbb F_{q^n}\) of a finite field \(\mathbb F_q,\,\, q=p^m\). Associated with the bilinear multiplication \(\mathbb F_{q^n}\times \mathbb F_{q^n}\rightarrow \mathbb F_{q^n}\) we get a tensor \(T=\sum_{i=1}^r x_i^*\otimes y_i^*\otimes c_i\in \mathbb F_{q^n}^*\otimes \mathbb F_{q^n}^*\otimes \mathbb F_{q^n}\). The minimum \(r\) in such an expression it is called the tensor rank of the multiplication in \(\mathbb F_{q^n}\) while the minimum \(r\) for a decomposition \(T=\sum_{i=1}^r x_i^*\otimes x_i^*\otimes c_i\) it is called the the symmetric tensor rank \(\mu_q^{\mathrm{sym}}\) of the multiplication. Upper bounds for \(\mu_q^{\mathrm{sym}}\) can be deduced from results of \textit{D. Chudnovsky} and \textit{G. Chudnovsky} [J. Complex. 4, No. 4, 285--316 (1988; Zbl 0668.68040)]. In particular there exists a constant \(C_q\) such that \(\mu_q^{\mathrm{sym}}\leq C_qn\). Theorem 5 gathers the best previous estimations for \(C_q\). The aim of the present paper is to improve these results in the case \(q=p, p^2\) and \(p\geq 5\). The used tools are the construction of families of modular curves \(\{X_i\}\) with increasing genus \(g_i\) attaining the Drinfeld-Vladut bound and such that \(\lim_{i\rightarrow \infty}g_{i+1}/g_i =1\) as well as bounds on gaps between two consecutive primes (Theorem 6). Section 2.1 studies the case \(q=p^2\) (Proposition 7) and Section 2.2 the case of prime fields (Proposition 10).