Cryptology ePrint Archive: Report 2007/301

On Asymptotic Behavior of the Ratio Between the Numbers of Binary Primitive and Irreducible Polynomials

Yuri Borissov and Moon Ho Lee and Svetla Nikova

Abstract: In this paper we study the ratio $\theta(n) = \frac{\lambda_2(n)}{\psi_2(n)}$, where ${\lambda_2(n)}$ is the number of primitive polynomials and ${\psi_2(n)}$ is the number of irreducible polynomials in $GF(2)[x]$ of degree $n$. %and $2n$, for an arbitrary odd number $n$. Let $n=\prod_{i=1}^{\ell} p_i^{r_i}$ be the prime factorization of $n$, where $p_i$ are odd primes. We show that $\theta(n)$ tends to 1 and $\theta(2n)$ is asymptotically not less than 2/3 when $r_i$ are fixed and $p_i$ tend to infinity. We also, describe an infinite series of values $n_{s}$ such that $\theta(n_{s})$ is strictly less than $\frac{1}{2}$.

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Publication Info: Extended abstract of a talk at Finite Fields and applications (FQ8), Melbourne, Australia, July 2007

Date: received 2 Aug 2007, last revised 15 Aug 2007

Contact author: svetla nikova at esat kuleuven be

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Version: 20070815:073802 (All versions of this report)

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