The difference between permutation polynomials over finite fields

Abstract

Recently S. D. Cohen resolved a conjecture of Chowla and Zassenhaus (1968) in the affirmative by showing that, if f ( x ) f(x) and g ( x ) g(x) are integral polynomials of degree n ≥ 2 n \geq 2 and p is a prime exceeding ( n 2 − 3 n + 4 ) 2 {({n^2} - 3n + 4)^2} for which f and g are both permutation polynomials of the finite field F p {F_p} , then their difference h = f − g h = f - g cannot be such that h ( x ) = c x h(x) = cx for some integer c not divisible by p. In this note we provide a significant generalization by proving that, if h is not a constant in F p {F_p} and t is the degree of h, then t ≥ 3 n / 5 t \geq 3n/5 and, provided t ≤ n − 3 t \leq n - 3 , t and n are not relatively prime. In a sense this measures the isolation of permutation polynomials of the same degree over large finite prime fields.