On constructions and properties of \((n,m)\)-functions with maximal number of bent components (Q2004973)

The paper studies the \((n=2k, m)\)-functions having a maximal number of bent components. An \((n,m)\)-function is a function between binary fields \(F: \mathbb{F}_{2^n} \rightarrow \mathbb{F}_{2^m}\)\, or, identifying the field extensions with 2-vector spaces, \(F=(f_1,f_2,\dots, f_m): \mathbb{F}_2^n \rightarrow \mathbb{F}_2^m\). The components of \(F\)\, are nonzero linear combinations of the Boolean functions \(f_i\). Bent components exist if and only if \(n\)\, is even. When \(m\le n/2\)\, the largest number of bent components is \(2^m-1\),\, i.e. then \(F\)\, is a vectorial bent function, see [\textit{K. Nyberg}, Lect. Notes Comput. Sci. 547, 378--386 (1991; Zbl 0766.94012)]. So the paper always supposes \(n=2k\)\, and \(m\ge k\). Section 1 presents the current state of the problem and Section 2 the definitions and basic concepts. Then Section 3 proves (Theorem 3.1) that the maximal number of bent components of an \((n,m)\)-function is \(2^m - 2^{m-k}\) and in that case the algebraic degree of \(F\)\,is at most \(k\). In the case \(n=m\)\, Theorem 3.2 shows that the power function \(F(x)=x^s\)\, has the maximal number of bent components if and only if it is trivial (i.e. \(F=(\widetilde{F}, 0)\)\, with \(\widetilde{F}\)\, an \((n,k)\)\, vectorial bent function). Section 4 gives the construction of a family of nontrivial \((n,m)\)-functions with the maximal number of bent components (Theorem 4.1) and in the case of \((n,n)\)-functions Theorem 4.6 gives a class of nontrivial function with the maximal number of bent components. Then the paper compares this construction with previous results, concluding that ``all the known nontrivial \((n, n)\)-functions with maximal number of bent components are covered by our results, to the best of our knowledge.''