Exponential sums for \(O^+(2n,q)\) and their applications (Q5948314)

Let \(\lambda\) be a nontrivial additive character of the finite field \(\mathbb{F}_q\) and \(r\) be a positive integer. The author evaluates the exponential sum \[ \sum_{w\in O^+(2n,q)}\lambda((\text{tr} w)^r), \] where \(O^+(2n,q)\) is the orthogonal group \(\{w\in\text{GL}(2n,q)\mid ^twJ^+w=J^+\} \) with \[ J^{+}= \begin{pmatrix} 0 & 1_n \\ 1_n & 0 \end{pmatrix} . \] It turns out that the sum is a polynomial in~\(q\) times \(\sum_{\gamma\in\mathbb{F}_q}\lambda(\gamma^r)\) plus another polynomial in~\(q\) involving certain new exponential sums. This extends the case \(r=1\) considered earlier by the author and \textit{I.-S. Lee} [Acta Arith. 78, 75-89 (1996; Zbl 0866.11072)]. A formula for the number of elements \(w\in O^+(2n,q)\) with \((\text{tr} w)^r=\beta\in F_q\) is also given. There are similar results when \(O^+(2n,q)\) is replaced by \(SO^+(2n,q)=\{w\in O^+(2n,q)\mid \text{det} w=1\}\), the special orthogonal groups over \(\mathbb{F}_q\).