On the number of rational points on some families of Fermat curves over finite fields (Q2370639)

Let \({\mathbb F}_m\) denote the finite field of order \(q^m\). In this article, for \(m=2,3\), the author obtains a closed formula for the number of \({\mathbb F}_m\)-rational points of the Fermat curve \(\alpha x^{q-1}+\beta y^{q-1}+\delta z^{q-1}=0\) with \(\alpha, \beta, \delta\in {\mathbb F}_m\setminus \{0\}\). The shape of the formula is \(N_m=\ell (q-1)^2+k(q-1)\), where \(\ell\) and \(k\) can be computed via the norm function from \({\mathbb F}_m\) to \({\mathbb F}_q\), the canonical additive character of \({\mathbb F}_q\) and the quadratic character of \({\mathbb F}_m\setminus\{0\}\). In case \(m=3\), the parameter \(\ell\) equals the number of \({\mathbb F}_q\)-rational points of the (projective) elliptic curve \(abx^2y+abxy^2+ax^2+by^2+(a+b+c)xy+x+y=0\), where \(a=N(\alpha), b=N(\beta)=, c=N(\delta)\). Thus \(| \ell-(q+1)| \leq 2\sqrt{q}\) by Hasse-Weil bound (one can compute \(\ell\) in some cases, e.g. \(a=b=c\)). For \(q\) even one can obtain a better information on the distribution of \(\ell\). In fact, the author shows that \(\ell-(q+1)\) is the sum of \(q\) terms (if the elliptic curve is supersingular) or \(q-1\) otherwise. Each term is the image of some point of \({\mathbb F}_q\) via the canonical additive character of \({\mathbb F}_q\). To obtain \(N_2\) one needs an appropriate relation between exponential sums and Kloosterman sums, see [\url{http://www.uwasa.fr/~mamo}]. Formula \(N_3\) is obtained after a generalization of a work by \textit{L. Carlitz} [Pac. J. Math. 15, 757--765 (1965; Zbl 0139.26903)]. The even case follows from Theorem 2.1 in \textit{G. Lachaud} and \textit{J. Wolfmann}'s paper [IEEE Trans. Inf. Theory 36, No. 3, 686--692 (1990; Zbl 0703.94011)] applied to the Weierstrass form of the cubic above which was calculated by Lahtonen (private communication).