Primitive polynomial with three coefficients prescribed (Q2566950)

Let \(\mathbb F_q\) be the finite field of \(q\) elements, where \(q = p^k\) with \(k\) a positive integer and \(p\) a prime. A monic polynomial \(f(x) \in \mathbb F_q[x]\) of degree \(n\) is called a primitive polynomial if the least positive integer \(T\) such that \(f(x)| x^T-1\) over \(\mathbb F_q[x]\) is \(q^n-1\). In some applications it is of interest to find primitive polynomials having some special properties, for example knowing whether for any given \(q\) and \(n\) there exists a primitive polynomial of degree \(n\) over \(\mathbb F_q\) with one or several coefficients prescribed. In this direction there is a well-known conjecture of Hansen and Mullen about one coefficient being prescribed. In the same spirit in this direction in an earlier paper [Finite Fields Appl. 10, No. 1, 36--52 (2004; Zbl 1047.11117)], the authors proved that given any \((a_1,a_2,a_3)\in \mathbb F_q ^3\), there exists a primitive polynomial \(f(x)=x^n-c_1 x^{n-1} + \dots + (-1)^n c_n\) over \(\mathbb F_q\) of degree \(n \geq 8\) such that \((c_1,c_2,c_3)=(a_1,a_2,a_3)\). D. Mills extended this result to the case when the degree \(n=7\), provided that \(p \geq 5\) [JP J. Algebra Number Theory Appl. 4, No. 1, 1--22 (2004; Zbl 1057.11065)]. In the present paper the authors completely deal with the degree \(n=7\) case when the characteristic of \(\mathbb F_q\) is \(2\) or \(3\): if \(n=7\) and \(p\in \{2,3 \}\), then they show that there exists a primitive polynomial over \(\mathbb F_q\) with the first three coefficients prescribed. The authors reduce the problem to one involving the existence of primitive element solutions of a system of trace equations over suitable Galois rings. Using character sum estimates and Cohen's sieve they estimate then the number of solutions to these equations and finish their proof with the help of some computer computations. [Reviewer's remark: For the proof of Lemma 5 the authors refer to a paper of theirs which is in the press. However, Lemma 5 is a well-known result and already appears for example in part II of \textit{E. Landau's}, Vorlesungen über Zahlentheorie [Satz 496], which appeared in (1927) (see JFM 53.0123.17)].