Results on permutation symmetric Boolean functions (Q394462)

Let \(G\) be a permutation group of \(\{1,2,\ldots,n\}\) and consider the action of \(\sigma\in G\) on \(x = (x_1,x_2,\ldots,x_n)\) given by \[ (\sigma,x)\rightarrow \sigma x = (x_{\sigma(1)}, x_{\sigma(2)}, \ldots, x_{\sigma(n)}). \] The authors define a \(G\)-symmetric Boolean function in \(n\) variables as a function for which \(f(\sigma x) = f(x)\) for all \(\sigma \in G\). Examples are the symmetric Boolean functions and the rotation symmetric Boolean functions where \(G\) is the symmetric group and the cyclic group \(\langle(123\cdots n)\rangle\), respectively. In the first part, enumeration results for rotation symmetric and homogeneous rotation symmetric Boolean functions are presented which extend previous results in [\textit{P. Stănică} and \textit{S. Maitra}, Discrete Appl. Math. 156, No. 10, 1567--1580 (2008; Zbl 1142.94016)]. Some of the results are based on evaluating the number of orbits of given length under the action \((\sigma, x)\) of the group \(G = \langle(123\cdots n)\rangle\). In the second part, \(G\)-symmetric Boolean functions are considered when \(G = G_1\times G_2\times \cdots G_t\), where \(G_j\) is the symmetric group of \(\Omega_j\), \(1\leq j\leq t\), and \(\Omega_1, \Omega_2,\ldots,\Omega_t\) is a partition of \(\{1,2,\ldots,n\}\). Conditions for the bentness of such functions are investigated, which generalize a result in [\textit{Y. Zhao} and \textit{H. Li}, Discrete Appl. Math. 154, No. 17, 2537--2543 (2006; Zbl 1106.94028)].