On some conjectures about optimal ternary cyclic codes (Q5918738)

For a prime \(p,\) the \(p\)-cyclotomic coset modulo \(p^m-1\) containing \(j\) is defined by \(C_j=\{jp^s \pmod{p^m-1}\vert s = 0, 1, \ldots, m-1\}.\) If \(e_1\) and \(e_2\) belong to the same \(p\)-cyclotomic coset, then the cyclic codes \(C_{(1,e_2)}\) and \(C_{(1,e_2)}\) are the same. For \(e\notin C_1\) and \(|C_e|=m,\) Ding and Helleseth presented the following characterization of \(C_{(1,e)}\). This code is optimal ternary cyclic code \([3^m-1,3^m-1-2m,4]\) if and only if the following conditions are satisfied: C1: \(e\) is even; C2: the equation \((x + 1)e + xe + 1 = 0\) has the only solution \(x = 1\) in \(\mathbb{F}_{3^m}\); and C3: the equation \((x + 1)e - xe - 1 = 0\) has the only solution \(x = 0\) in \(\mathbb{F}_{3^m}.\) In this paper, by investigating the solutions of these equations over finite fields, the authors make progress towards the three conjectures about optimal ternary cyclic codes. The incomplete answer to the first conjecture is the following: Let \(e = 3h + 5,\) where \(0\leq h \leq m-1,\) \(m \geq 5\) be an odd prime. If \(2h = -1 \pmod m\) then the ternary cyclic code \(C_{(1,e)}\) has parameters \([3^m-1,3^m-1-2m,4].\) The incomplete answer to the second conjecture is the following: Let \(e = 3h + 13,\) where \(0 \leq h\leq m-1.\) Let \(m\geq 7\) be an odd prime. If \(2h = -1 \pmod m\) then the ternary cyclic code \(C_{(1,e)}\) has parameters \([3^m-1,3^m-1-2m,4].\) The incomplete answer to the third conjecture is the following: Let \(e = (3^{m-1}-1)/2+3^h+1,\) where \(0 \leq h\leq m-1.\) Let \(m\geq 5\) be an odd prime. If \(2h = \pm 1 \pmod m\) then the ternary cyclic code \(C_{(1,e)}\) has parameters \([3^m-1,3^m-1-2m,4].\)