Cryptology ePrint Archive: Report 2020/1041

Sign in finite fields

Abraham Westerbaan and Bas Westerbaan

Abstract: Often in cryptography one needs to make a consistent choice of square root in a finite field. We show that such a choice is equivalent to providing a reasonable sign function. Then we show that for $\mathbb{F}_{p^k}$ (with odd prime $p \neq 1$ and $k\neq 0$) such a sign function exists if and only if $k$ is odd.

Category / Keywords: foundations / finite fields, square root, sign function

Date: received 28 Aug 2020

Contact author: bas at westerbaan name

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Version: 20200828:161413 (All versions of this report)

Short URL: ia.cr/2020/1041