A class of polynomials over finite fields (Q1808852)

A fundamental and difficult problem in Algebraic Curve Theory over Finite Fields is the computation of the maximal number \(N_q(g)\) of \(\mathbb F_q\)-rational points that a projective, geometrically irreducible, non-singular algebraic curve of genus \(g\) defined over \(\mathbb F_q\) can have. \textit{J.-P. Serre} computed \(N_q(1)\) and \(N_q(2)\) for any \(q\) [Rational points on curves over finite fields; Notes by F. Gouvea of lectures at Harvard University, 1985] and tables for small \(q\) and \(g\) were constructed, among others, by \textit{G. van der Geer} and \textit{M. van der Vlugt} [Math. Comput. 69, 797-810 (2000; Zbl 0965.11028)]. In general, lower and upper bounds for \(N_q(g)\) are available in the literature; see e.g. \textit{A. Kresch, J. L. Wetherell} and \textit{M. E. Zieve} [\url{http://www.arxiv.org/abs/math.AG/9912069}]. In this paper the authors introduce and study a class of polynomials, which, in a certain sense, is motivated by the trace map and norm map over finite fields. Next they use some members of this family to construct curves whose number of rational points is large compare with their genera. For instance, they compute the genus and number of rational points of the curves \(Y^{q^2+q+1}=X^{q^2+q}+X^{q^2+1}+X^{q+1}-a\) over \(\mathbb F_{q^3}\) (here \(a\in \mathbb F_{q^3}^*\) is an appropriate constant), and \(Y^{q^3+q^2+q+1}=X^{q^3+q}+X^{q^2+1}\) over \(\mathbb F_{q^4}\). In particular, they obtain the lower bound for \(N_{27}(42)\) in the aforementioned tables for \(N_q(g)\), and they improve on the lower bound for \(N_{16}(31)\) in such tables.