English

Complete Padovan sequences in finite fields

Number Theory 2014-06-20 v1 Combinatorics

Abstract

Given a prime p5p\ge 5, and given 1<κ<p11<\kappa<p-1, we call a sequence (an)n(a_n)_{n} in Fp\mathbb{F}_p a Φκ\Phi_{\kappa}-sequence if it is periodic with period p1p-1, and if it satisfies the linear recurrence an+an+1=an+κa_n+a_{n+1}=a_{n+\kappa} with a0=1a_0=1. Such a sequence is said to be a complete Φκ\Phi_{\kappa}-sequence if in addition {a0,a1,...,ap2}={1,...,p1}\{a_0,a_1,...,a_{p-2}\}=\{1,...,p-1\}. For instance, every primitive root bb mod pp generates a complete Φκ\Phi_{\kappa}-sequence an=bna_n=b^n for some (unique) κ\kappa. A natural question is whether every complete Φκ\Phi_{\kappa}-sequence is necessarily defined by a primitive root. For κ=2\kappa=2 the answer is known to be positive. In this paper we reexamine that case and investigate the case κ=3\kappa=3 together with the associated cases κ=p2\kappa=p-2 and κ=p3\kappa=p-3.

Cite

@article{arxiv.math/0605348,
  title  = {Complete Padovan sequences in finite fields},
  author = {Juan B. Gil and Michael D. Weiner and Catalin Zara},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:math/0605348},
  year   = {2014}
}

Comments

12 pages. To appear in The Fibonnaci Quarterly