Number of equivalence classes of rational functions over finite fields
Let \(F\) be any field with rational function field \(F(x)\). Due to Lüroth's theorem, every intermediate field \(F<L\le F(x)\) is of the form \(F(f)\) with some function \(f\in F(x)\) of ``degree \(n:=[F(x):F(f)]\). Two rational functions \(f,g\in F(x)\) are called ``equivalent, if \(g=\phi\circ f\circ \psi\) with \(\phi,\psi\in F(x)\) of degree one. Here \(\circ\) denotes function decomposition. It is well known that \(f,g\in F(x)\) are equivalent if and only if the fields \(F(f)\) and \(F(g)\) are conjugate under some automorphism in \(\Aut_FF(x)\cong \mathrm{PGL}(2,F)\).\N\NLet \(F:=\mathbb{F}_q\), the finite field of order \(q\). In this paper the author gives an explicit formula for the number \(\mathfrak{N}(q,n)\) of equivalence classes of rational functions in \(\mathbb{F}_q(x)\) of given degree \(n\). In that case the finite group \(G:=\mathrm{GL}(2,\mathbb{F}_q)\) acts naturally on the set \(\mathcal{I}(q,n)\) of intermediate fields of index \(n\), and the desired number of equivalence classes of rational functions coincides with the number of \(G\)-orbits on \(\mathcal{I}(q,n)\). Therefore the main tool in the proof is Burnside's lemma, which states that the number of \(G\)-orbits is equal to the average number of fixed points under this action. \N\NThe main part of the paper consists in the determination of the number of those fixed points for every representative \(g\) of a conjugacy class in \(G\). These calculations are technically quite involved, the most difficult situation appearing when the elementary divisor of \(g\) is an irreducible quadratic.\N\NIn an extra, but much shorter section, the author also determines the number of equivalent polynomials \(f\in\mathbb{F}_q[X]\), where equivalence is defined analogously. It turns out that \(f,g\in\mathbb{F}_q[X]\) are equivalent under \(G\) if and only if they are equivalent under the affine linear group \(\mathrm{AGL}(1,\mathbb{F}_q)=\{\phi\in F[X]\ |\ \deg(\phi)=1\}\). This makes the necessary calculations much easier.\N\NAlong the way, the author proves a variety of interesting counting formulae for certain pairs of coprime polynomials in \(\mathbb{F}_q[X]\). Among others he shows that the number of rational functions in \(\mathbb{F}_q(X)\) of degree \(n>0\) is equal to \(q^{2n-1}(q^2-1)\) and \(\#\mathcal{I}(q,n)=q^{2(n-1)}\).
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