How to Construct Curves over Finite Fields With Many Points (Q4350107)

Most of this work is a survey of methods and results from previous articles by the authors relating the weight of a word in a trace code with the number of rational points on an associated Artin-Schreier curve. In particular, [in C. R. Acad. Sci., Paris, Sér. I 317, 593--597 (1993; Zbl 0787.14033)] and [J. Comb. Theory, Ser. A 70, No. 2, 337--348 (1995; Zbl 0824.94025)], the present authors showed that a subcode of a trace code corresponds to a fiber product of Artin-Schreier curves and used this idea to construct curves with many rational points. (Similar results were obtained by \textit{H. Stichtenoth} and \textit{C. Voß} [IEEE Trans. Inf. Theory 40, No. 2, 554--558 (1994; Zbl 0837.94024)] using a function field viewpoint.) By combining methods that they have utilized before, the authors here are able to construct some new curves with more rational points than previously known examples. They give updated versions of the tables of Wirtz on the maximum number of rational points on a curve of a given genus over a given finite field. For the entire collection see [Zbl 0864.00054].