External Difference Families from Finite Fields

External difference families (EDFs) are a type of combinatorial designs that originated from cryptography. Many combinatorial objects are closely related to EDFs, such as difference sets, difference families, almost difference sets, and difference systems of sets. Constructing EDFs is thus of significance in theory and practice. In this paper, earlier ideas of constructing EDFs proposed by Chang and Ding (2006), and Huang and Wu (2009), are further explored. Consequently, new infinite classes of EDFs are obtained and some previously known results are extended.     

Cyclotomic constructions of external difference families and disjoint difference families

External difference families (EDFs) are a type of new combinatorial designs originated from cryptography. Some results had been obtained by Chang and Ding, the connection between EDFs and disjoint difference families (DDFs) was also established. In this paper, further cyclotomic constructions of EDFs and DDFs are presented, and several classes of EDFs and DDFs are obtained. Answers to problems 1 and 4 by Chang and Ding are also given. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 17: 333–341, 2009     

Partial Geometric Difference Families

We introduce the notion of a partial geometric difference family as a variation on the classical difference family and a generalization of partial geometric difference sets. We study the relationship between partial geometric difference families and both partial geometric designs and difference families, and show that partial geometric difference families give rise to partial geometric designs. We construct several infinite families of partial geometric difference families using Galois rings and the cyclotomy of Galois fields. From these partial geometric difference families, we generate a list of infinite families of partial geometric designs and directed strongly regular graphs.     

Constructions of almost difference families

Almost difference families (ADFs) are a useful generalization of almost difference sets (ADSs). In this paper, we present some constructive techniques to obtain ADFs and establish a number of infinite classes of ADFs. Our results can be regarded as a generalization of the known difference families. It is clear that ADFs give partially balance incomplete block designs which arise in a natural way in many combinatorial and statistical problems.     

On Resolvable Difference Families

A Steiner 2-design is said to be G-invariantly resolvable if admits an automorphism group G and a resolution invariant under G. Introducing and studying resolvable difference families, we characterize the class of G-invariantly resolvable Steiner 2-designs arising from relative difference families over G. Such designs have been already studied by Genma, Jimbo, and Mishima [13] in the case in which G is cyclic. Developping their results, we prove that any (p, k, 1)-DF (p prime) whose base blocks exactly cover p–1/k(k–1) distinct cosets of the k-th roots of unity (mod p), leads to a Ckp-invariantly resolvable cyclic (kp,k,1)-BBD. This induced us to propose several constructions for DF's having this property. In such a way we prove, in particular, the existence of a C5p-invariantly resolvable cyclic (5p, 5, 1)-BBD for each prime p = 20n + 1 < 1.000.     

Weighted external difference families and R-optimal AMD codes

In this paper, we provide a mathematical framework for characterizing AMD codes that are R-optimal. We introduce a new combinatorial object, the reciprocally-weighted external difference family (RWEDF), which corresponds precisely to an R-optimal weak AMD code. This definition subsumes known examples of existing optimal codes, and also encompasses combinatorial objects not covered by previous definitions in the literature. By developing structural group-theoretic characterizations, we exhibit infinite families of new RWEDFs, and new construction methods for known objects such as near-complete EDFs. Examples of RWEDFs in non-abelian groups are also discussed.     

Two constructions of (v, (v − 1)/2, (v − 3)/2) difference families

In this article, two constructions of (v, (v ? 1)/2, (v ? 3)/2) difference families are presented. The first construction produces both cyclic and noncyclic difference families, while the second one gives only cyclic difference families. The parameters of the second construction are new. The difference families presented in this article can be used to construct Hadamard matrices. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 16: 164–171, 2008     

Strong difference families,difference covers,and their applications for relative difference families

In (M. Buratti, J Combin Des 7:406–425, 1999), Buratti pointed out the lack of systematic treatments of constructions for relative difference families. The concept of strong difference families was introduced to cover such a problem. However, unfortunately, only a few papers consciously using the useful concept have appeared in the literature in the past 10 years. In this paper, strong difference families, difference covers and their connections with relative difference families and optical orthogonal codes are discussed.      

Constructions of optimal difference systems of sets

Difference systems of sets (DSSs) are combinatorial configurations which were introduced in 1971 by Levenstein for the construction of codes for synchronization. In this paper, we present two kinds of constructions of difference systems of sets by using disjoint difference families and a special type of difference sets, respectively. As a consequence, new infinite classes of optimal DSSs are obtained.     

Special subsets of difference sets with particular emphasis on skew Hadamard difference sets

This article introduces a new approach to studying difference sets via their additive properties. We introduce the concept of special subsets, which are interesting combinatorial objects in their own right, but also provide a mechanism for measuring additive regularity. Skew Hadamard difference sets are given special attention, and the structure of their special subsets leads to several results on multipliers, including a categorisation of the full multiplier group of an abelian skew Hadamard difference set. We also count the number of ways to write elements as a product of any number of elements of a skew Hadamard difference set.      

Internal and external partial difference families and cyclotomy

We introduce the concept of a disjoint partial difference family (DPDF) and an external partial difference family (EPDF), a natural generalization of the much-studied disjoint difference family (DDF), external difference family (EDF) and partial difference set (PDS). We establish properties and indicate connections to other recently-studied combinatorial structures. We show how DPDFs and EPDFs may be formed from PDSs, and present various cyclotomic constructions for DPDFs and EPDFs. As part of this, we develop a unified cyclotomic framework, which yields some known results on PDSs, DDFs and EDFs as special cases.     

Difference systems of sets based on cosets partitions

Difference systems of sets （DSS） are combinatorial configurations that arise in connection with code synchronization. This paper proposes a new method to construct DSSs, which uses known DSSs to partition some of the cosets of Zv relative to subgroup of order k, where v = km is a composite number. As applications, we obtain some new optimal DSSs.     

广义差集与几乎完美序列

提出了广义差集的概念,并且给出了广义差集的一些初等性质.从应用的角度讲,广义差集就是使得其±1特征序列的自相关函数是(最多)三值的一种组合结构.因此,广义差集不仅仅是在概念(理论)上的推广,它还具有深层次的应用背景.事实上,给出了一些广义差集,它不是可分差集,也不是相对差集.同时也给出了一类广义差集存在的一些必要条件,使得这些广义差集对应的±1特征序列成为几乎完美序列.并举例说明本文中的方法是有效的.     

Toward the classification of biangular harmonic frames

Equiangular tight frames (ETFs) and biangular tight frames (BTFs) – sets of unit vectors with basis-like properties whose pairwise absolute inner products admit exactly one or two values, respectively – are useful for many applications. A well-understood class of ETFs are those which manifest as harmonic frames – vector sets defined in terms of the characters of finite abelian groups – because they are characterized by combinatorial objects called difference sets.This work is dedicated to the study of the underlying combinatorial structures of harmonic BTFs. We show that if a harmonic frame is generated by a divisible difference set, a partial difference set or by a special structure with certain Gauss summing properties – all three of which are generalizations of difference sets that fall under the umbrella term “bidifference set” – then it is either a BTF or an ETF. However, we also show that the relationship between harmonic BTFs and bidifference sets is not as straightforward as the correspondence between harmonic ETFs and difference sets, as there are examples of bidifference sets that do not generate harmonic BTFs. In addition, we study another class of combinatorial structures, the nested divisible difference sets, which yields an example of a harmonic BTF that is not generated by a bidifference set.     

Constructions for Anonymous Secret Sharing Schemes Using Combinatorial Designs

In an anonymous secret sharing scheme the secret can be reconstructed without knowledge ofwhich participants hold which shares.In this paper some constructions of anonymous secret sharing schemeswith 2 thresholds by using combinatorial designs are given.Let v(t,w,q)denote the minimum size of the setof shares of a perfect anonymous(t,w)threshold secret sharing scheme with q secrets.In this paper we provethat v(t,w,q)=(q)if t and w are fixed and that the lower bound of the size of the set of shares in[4]is notoptimal under certain condition.     

Difference Sets and Hyperovals

We construct three infinite families of cyclic difference sets, using monomial hyperovals in a desarguesian projective plane of even order. These difference sets give rise to cyclic Hadamard designs, which have the same parameters as the designs of points and hyperplanes of a projective geometry over the field with two elements. Moreover, they are substructures of the Hadamard design that one can associate with a hyperoval in a projective plane of even order.     

Difference packing arrays and systematic authentication codes

In this paper, a type of combinatorial design (called difference packing array) is proposed and used to give a construction of systematic authentication codes. Taking advantage of this construction, some new series of systematic authentication codes are obtainable in terms of existing difference packing arrays.     

New Constructions of Disjoint Distinct Difference Sets

New constructions of regular disjoint distinct difference sets (DDDS) are presented. In particular, multiplicative and additive DDDS are considered.     

Skew‐Hadamard matrices of orders 436, 580, and 988 exist

We construct two difference families on each of the cyclic groups of order 109, 145, and 247, and use them to construct skew‐Hadamard matrices of orders 436, 580, and 988. Such difference families and matrices are constructed here for the first time. The matrices are constructed by using the Goethals‐Seidel array. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 16: 493–498, 2008     

Concerning Difference Matrices

Several new constructions for difference matrices are given. One classof constructions uses pairwise balanced designs to develop newdifference matrices over the additive group of GF (q). A second class of constructions gives difference matrices overgroups whose orders are not (necessarily) prime powers.