On algebraic degrees of certain exponential sums over finite fields (Q6964005)

In this paper, the author discussed the algebraic degrees of a class \(S_n(a_1, \ldots, a_r) \) of exponential sums, defined in some way, for \(a_i \in \mathbb{F}_q^*\), that can be expressed by the product of classical \(n\)-dimensional Kloosterman sums \(K_{n_i}(q, a)\) according to the partition \(\sum_{i=1}^{r}n_i\) of \(n\). After \textit{B. J. Birch} and \textit{E. Bombieri} [Ann. Math. (2) 121, 319--350 (1985; Zbl 0572.10029)] proposed the study of this important class of \(n\)-dimensional exponential sums for \(n = 4\), \textit{N. M. Katz} [J. Reine Angew. Math. 377, 12--17 (1987; Zbl 0604.12015)] generalized it to general positive integer \(n\). Previously, the author himself enhanced the preceding work from a complex point of view [\textit{X. Lin} and \textit{C. Chen}, J. Number Theory 241, 198--220 (2022; Zbl 1517.11145)] and expanded the subject to a \(p\)-adic point of view for any positive integer \(n\). In this paper, the author has investigated the algebraic degree of the above exponential sum as an algebraic integer and proved some interesting results.