The power difference set conjecture for multiplicative subgroups of finite fields

Let pp be prime, and let KK be the multiplicative subgroup of \ell-th powers in Fp\mathbb{F}_p. A power difference set conjecture asserts that if KK forms a difference set of Fp\mathbb{F}_p, then

=2,4,8.\ell=2,4,8.

The power difference set problem asks when the subgroup of \ell-th powers is a difference set; it is known that \ell must be even, but the stated classification remains open.

Sources & referencesView supporting material

Primary source

Wei-Liang Sun, “Cyclotomic Matrices and Power Difference Sets”, arXiv:2511.13613 (2025).

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