Irreducible factorization of translates of reversed Dickson polynomials over finite fields (Q1800698)

Let \(\mathbb F_q\) be a finite field of odd characteristic and \(n=\lfloor (q+1)/2 \rfloor\). Consider the polynomial \(g_s(y)=y^n+(1+y)^n-s\), with \(s\in\mathbb F_q\). Using the fact that these polynomials can be easily expressed in terms of reversed Dickson polynomials, the authors obtain their irreducible factorization over \(\mathbb F_q\). The case where every irreducible factor of \(g_s\) is linear or quadratic is treated separately. In the main result it is shown that if \(c=1-s^2\) is a non-zero square different from \(1\) then all irreducible factors have the same degree \(e>2\). The common degree is identified as the period of a second order linear recurring sequence that turns out to play a crucial role in the proof. Moreover, all the factors are identical except for their constant terms, and the common coefficients can be described explicitly with the help of some integer polynomials in \(c\). The proofs heavily depend on a previous work of the authors [Finite Fields Appl. 49, 143--155 (2018; Zbl 1374.11090)].