The 4/4 conjecture for permutation rational functions

Let Fq\mathbb{F}_q be a finite field, and let Nv,u(q)N_{v,u}(q) denote the number of permutation rational functions V(x)/U(x)V(x)/U(x) over Fq\mathbb{F}_q with numerator degree vv and denominator degree uu. The 4/4 conjecture. For all prime powers qq,

N4,4(q)=(q+1)q2(q1)33.N_{4,4}(q)=\frac{(q+1)q^2(q-1)^3}{3}.

The formula has been verified computationally for all primes p47p\leq 47 and concerns permutation rational functions of equal numerator and denominator degree.

Sources & referencesView supporting material

Primary source

Sergey Bereg, Brian Malouf, Linda Morales, Thomas Stanley and I. Hal Sudborough, “Improved Lower Bounds for Permutation Arrays Using Permutation Rational Functions”, arXiv:2003.10072 (2021).

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