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Let $\mathcal{H}_q$ denote the Hermitian curve in $\mathbb{P}^2$ over $\mathbb{F}_{q^2}$ and $\mathcal{C}_d$ be an irreducible plane projective curve in $\mathbb{P}^2$ also defined over $\mathbb{F}_{q^2}$ of degree $d$. Can $\mathcal{H}_q$ and $\mathcal{C}_d$ intersect in exactly $d(q+1)$ distinct $\mathbb{F}_{q^2}$-rational points? B\'ezout's theorem immediately implies that $\mathcal{H}_q$ and $\mathcal{C}_d$ intersect in at most $d(q+1)$ points, but equality is not guaranteed over $\mathbb{F}_{q^2}$. In this paper we prove that for many $d \le q^2-q+1$, the answer to this question is affirmative. The case $d=1$ is trivial: it is well known that any secant line of $\mathcal{H}_q$ defined over $\mathbb{F}_{q^2}$ intersects $\mathcal{H}_q$ in $q+1$ rational points. Moreover, all possible intersections of conics and $\mathcal{H}_q$ were classified by Donati et al. in 2009 and their results imply that the answer to the question above is affirmative for $d=2$ and $q \ge 4$, as well. However, an exhaustive computer search quickly reveals that for $(q,d) \in \{(2,2),(3,2),(2,3)\}$, the answer is instead negative. We show that for $q \le d \le q^2-q+1$, $d=\lfloor(q+1)/2\rfloor$ and $d=3$, $q \geq 3$ the answer is again affirmative. Various partial results for the case $d$ small compared to $q$ are also provided.

Determining the weight distributions of the projective Reed-Muller codes is a very hard problem and has been studied extensively in the literature. In this article, we provide an alternative proof of the second weight of the projective Reed-Muller codes $\PRM (d, m)$ where $m \ge 3$ and $3 \le d \le \frac{q+3}{2}$. We show that the second weight is attained by codewords that correspond to hypersurfaces containing a hyperplane under the hypothesis on $d$. Furthermore, we compute the second weight of $\PRM (d, 2)$ for $3 \le d \le q-1$. Furthermore, we give an upper bound for the third weight of $\PRM(d, 2)$.

It was conjectured by Edoukou in 2008 that a non-degenerate Hermitian threefold in $\mathbb{P}^4 (\mathbb{F}_{q^2})$ has at most $d(q^5+q^2) + q^3 + 1$ points in common with a threefold of degree $d$ defined over $\mathbb{F}_{q^2}$. He proved the conjecture for $d=2$. In this paper, we show that the conjecture is true for $d = 3$ and $q \ge 7$.

We define and study a class of Reed-Muller type error-correcting codes obtained from elementary symmetric functions in finitely many variables. We determine the code parameters and higher weight spectra in the simplest cases.

We Use the method of linearly independent polynomials to derive an upper bound for the cardinality of a spherical s-distance set F where the sum of distinct inner products of any two elements from F is zero. Our result generalizes the well-known Gerzon's bound for the cardinality of an equiangular spherical set to a significantly broader class of spherical s-distance sets.

In this article we prove a conjecture formulated by A.B. Soerensen in 1991 on the maximal number of $\mathbb{F}_{q^2}$-rational points on the intersection of a non-degenerate Hermitian surface and a surface of degree $d \le q.$

We explicitly determine all the relative generalized Hamming weights of affine Cartesian codes using the notion of footprints and results from extremal combinatorics. This generalizes the previous works on the determination of relative generalized Hamming weights of Reed-Muller codes by Geil and Martin, as well as the determination of all the generalized Hamming weights of the affine Cartesian codes by Beelen and Datta.

We determine the maximum number of $\mathbb{F}_q$-rational points that a nonsingular threefold of degree $d$ in a projective space of dimension $4$ defined over $\mathbb{F}_q$ may contain. This settles a conjecture by Homma and Kim concerning the maximum number of points on a hypersurface in a projective space of even dimension in this particular case., Comment: 8 pages

We give a complete conjectural formula for the number $e_r(d,m)$ of maximum possible ${\mathbb{F}}q$-rational points on a projective algebraic variety defined by $r$ linearly independent homogeneous polynomial equations of degree $d$ in $m+1$ variables with coefficients in the finite field ${\mathbb{F}}q$ with $q$ elements, when $d

In 1991 S{\o}rensen proposed a conjecture for the maximum number of points on the intersection of a surface of degree $d$ and a non-degenerate Hermitian surface in $\PP^3(\Fqt)$. The conjecture was proven to be true by Edoukou in the case when $d=2$. In this paper, we prove that the conjecture is true for $d=3$ and $q \ge 8$. We further determine the second highest number of rational points on the intersection of a cubic surface and a non-degenerate Hermitian surface. Finally, we classify all the cubic surfaces that admit the highest and second highest number of points in common with a non-degenerate Hermitian surface. This classifications disproves one of the conjectures proposed by Edoukou, Ling and Xing.

We consider the vanishing ideal of a projective space over a finite field. An explicit set of generators for this ideal has been given by Mercier and Rolland. We show that these generators form a universal Gr\"obner basis of the ideal. Further we give a projective analogue of the footprint bound, and a version of it that is suitable for estimating the number of points of a projective algebraic variety over a finite field. An application to Serre's inequality for the number of rational points of projective hypersurfaces over finite fields is included, Comment: 16 pages, slightly revised version, to appear in Acta Math. Sin. (Engl. Ser.)

In this article, we give the answer to the following question: Given a field $\mathbb{F}$, finite subsets $A_1,\dots,A_m$ of $\mathbb{F}$, and $r$ linearly independent polynomials $f_1,\dots,f_r \in \mathbb{F}[x_1,\dots,x_m]$ of total degree at most $d$. What is the maximal number of common zeros $f_1,\dots,f_r$ can have in $A_1 \times \cdots \times A_m$? For $\mathbb{F}=\mathbb{F}_q$, the finite field with $q$ elements, answering this question is equivalent to determining the generalized Hamming weights of the so-called affine Cartesian codes. Seen in this light, our work is a generalization of the work of Heijnen--Pellikaan for Reed--Muller codes to the significantly larger class of affine Cartesian codes., Comment: 12 Pages

We improve previously known lower bounds for the minimum distance of certain two-point AG codes constructed using a Generalized Giulietti-Korchmaros curve (GGK). Castellanos and Tizziotti recently described such bounds for two-point codes coming from the Giulietti-Korchmaros curve (GK). Our results completely cover and in many cases improve on their results, using different techniques, while also supporting any GGK curve. Our method builds on the order bound for AG codes: to enable this, we study certain Weierstrass semigroups. This allows an efficient algorithm for computing our improved bounds. We find several new improvements upon the MinT minimum distance tables., Comment: 13 pages

About two decades ago, Tsfasman and Boguslavsky conjectured a formula for the maximum number of common zeros that $r$ linearly independent homogeneous polynomials of degree $d$ in $m+1$ variables with coefficients in a finite field with $q$ elements can have in the corresponding $m$-dimensional projective space. Recently, it has been shown by Datta and Ghorpade that this conjecture is valid if $r$ is at most $m+1$ and can be invalid otherwise. Moreover a new conjecture was proposed for many values of $r$ beyond $m+1$. In this paper, we prove that this new conjecture holds true for several values of $r$. In particular, this settles the new conjecture completely when $d=3$. Our result also includes the positive result of Datta and Ghorpade as a special case. Further, we determine the maximum number of zeros in certain cases not covered by the earlier conjectures and results, namely, the case of $d=q-1$ and of $d=q$. All these results are directly applicable to the determination of the maximum number of points on sections of Veronese varieties by linear subvarieties of a fixed dimension, and also the determination of generalized Hamming weights of projective Reed-Muller codes., Comment: 15 pages

Tsfasman-Boguslavsky Conjecture predicts the maximum number of zeros that a system of linearly independent homogeneous polynomials of the same positive degree with coefficients in a finite field can have in the corresponding projective space. We give a self-contained proof to show that this conjecture holds in the affirmative in the case of systems of three homogeneous polynomials, and also to show that the conjecture is false in the case of five quadrics in the 3-dimensional projective space over a finite field. Connections between the Tsfasman-Boguslavsky Conjecture and the determination of generalized Hamming weights of projective Reed-Muller codes are outlined and these are also exploited to show that this conjecture holds in the affirmative in the case of systems of a "large" number of three homogeneous polynomials, and to deduce the counterexample of 5 quadrics. An application to the nonexistence of lines in certain Veronese varieties over finite fields is also included., Comment: Revised version; 13 pages; to appear in Proc. AGCT-2015 (Luminy, France, May 2015), Contemp. Math., Amer. Math. Soc

We consider the problem of determining the maximum number of common zeros in a projective space over a finite field for a system of linearly independent multivariate homogeneous polynomials defined over that field. There is an elaborate conjecture of Tsfasman and Boguslavsky that predicts the maximum value when the homogeneous polynomials have the same degree that is not too large in comparison to the size of the finite field. We show that this conjecture holds in the affirmative if the number of polynomials does not exceed the total number of variables. This extends the results of Serre (1991) and Boguslavsky (1997) for the case of one and two polynomials, respectively. Moreover, it complements our recent result that the conjecture is false, in general, if the number of polynomials exceeds the total number of variables., Comment: Slightly revised version of arXiv:1507.03029v2 [13 Apr 2016]; 16 pages; to appear in Proc. Amer. Math. Soc

We give a short proof of an inequality, conjectured by Tsfasman and proved by Serre, for the maximum number of points on hypersurfaces over finite fields. Further, we consider a conjectural extension, due to Tsfasman and Boguslavsky, of this inequality to an explicit formula for the maximum number of common solutions of a system of linearly independent multivariate homogeneous polynomials of the same degree with coefficients in a finite field. This conjecture is shown to be false, in general, but is also shown to hold in the affirmative in a special case. Applications to generalized Hamming weights of projective Reed-Muller codes are outlined and a comparison with an older conjecture of Lachaud and a recent result of Couvreur is given., Comment: Revised version; 9 pages; to appear in Moscow Math J

We consider the question of determining the higher weights or the generalized Hamming weights of affine Grassmann codes and their duals. Several initial as well as terminal higher weights of affine Grassmann codes of an arbitrary level are determined explicitly. In the case of duals of these codes, we give a formula for many initial as well as terminal higher weights. As a special case, we obtain an alternative simpler proof of the formula of Beelen et al for the minimum distance of the dual of an affine Grasmann code., Comment: 13 pages; to appear in the Proceedings of AGCT (Luminy, France, June 2013)