No label defined (Q4530230)

Because of the absence of exponential time algorithms for solving the discrete logarithm problem, the implementation of discrete logarithm based public-key protocols on elliptic curves and hyperelliptic curves of small genus \(g\) over finite fields has become increasingly important in public key cryptography. (For larger genus \(g\geq 4\) there exists a method for computing the discrete logarithm which is faster than Pollard's rho method [see \textit{P. Gaudry}, An algorithm for solving the discrete log problem on hyperelliptic curves, Lect. Notes Comput. Sci. 1807, 19--34 (2000) and \textit{N. Thériault}, Index calculus attack for hyperelliptic curves of small genus. Adv. Cryptology - ASIACRYPT 2003, Lect. Notes Comput. Sci. 2894, 75--92 (2003)].) Koblitz, Solinas, and others investigated a family of elliptic curves defined over a small finite field but considered over a large extension field (see \textit{J. A. Solinas} [Des. Codes Cryptography 19, 195--249 (2000; Zbl 0997.94017)]). These curves admit faster arithmetic on the curve. In [\textit{C. Günther}, \textit{T. Lange}, and \textit{A. Stein}, SAC 2000, Lect. Notes Comput. Sci. 2012, 106--117 (2001; Zbl 0976.94014)] these ideas were generalized to hyperelliptic curves of genus \(2\) over fields of characteristic \(2\). The main achievements of the thesis under review are the extensions of these results to hyperelliptic curves of arbitrary genus \(g\) over finite fields of arbitrary characteristic \(p\). Along the way, the author deduces some explicit formulae for the arithmetic in the divisor class groups for \(g=2\) and determines the class numbers of curves of genus \(g\leq 4\) defined over fields of \(p\leq 5\) elements.