Large irreducible factors in iterated polynomial-value differences

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Let α,β∈Fq\alpha,\beta\in\mathbb{F}_q, let λ∈F‾p\lambda\in\overline{\mathbb F}_p, and let fλ(z)=zd+λf_\lambda(z)=z^d+\lambda. Define Pn,α(λ)=fλn(α)∈Fq[λ]P_{n,\alpha}(\lambda)=f_\lambda^n(\alpha)\in\mathbb{F}_q[\lambda], a polynomial of degree dn−1d^{n-1}. Suppose gcd⁡(d,q−1)=1\gcd(d,q-1)=1. Large-factor conjecture. For every M>0M>0, there is an n∈Nn\in\mathbb{N} such that Pn,α(λ)−βP_{n,\alpha}(\lambda)-\beta has an irreducible factor g(λ)∈Fq[λ]g(\lambda)\in\mathbb{F}_q[\lambda] of degree k>Mk>M satisfying gcd⁡(d,qk−1)=1\gcd(d,q^k-1)=1. This prediction would provide arbitrarily large finite-field extensions containing parameters for which the relevant orbit condition is satisfied; the source supplies no resolution status.

References

Primary source

Shamil Asgarli and Dragos Ghioca, “Collision of orbits for families of polynomials defined over fields of positive characteristic”, arXiv:2508.06279 (2026).

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