A new construction of bent functions based on {\mathbb{Z}} -bent functions

Dobbertin has embedded the problem of construction of bent functions in a recursive framework by using a generalization of bent functions called ${\mathbb{Z}}$ -bent functions. Following his ideas, we generalize the construction of partial spreads bent functions to partial spreads ${\mathbb{Z}}$ -bent functions of arbitrary level. Furthermore, we show how these partial spreads ${\mathbb{Z}}$ -bent functions give rise to a new construction of (classical) bent functions. Further, we construct a bent function on 8 variables which is inequivalent to all Maiorana–McFarland as well as PS _ap type bents. It is also shown that all bent functions on 6 variables, up to equivalence, can be obtained by our construction.     

p-Ary and q-ary versions of certain results about bent functions and resilient functions

Using the Teichmüller character and Gauss sums, we obtain the following results concerning p-ary bent functions and q-ary resilient functions: (1) a characterization of certain q-ary resilient functions in terms of their coefficients; (2) stronger upper bounds for the degree of p-ary bent functions; (3) determination of all bent functions on ; (4) a characterization of ternary weakly regular bent functions in terms of their coefficients.     

Characteristics of highly nonlinear functions

The highly nonlinear odd-dimensional Boolean-functions have many applications in the cryptographic practice, that is why the research of that function-classes and construction of such functions have a great importance. This study focuses on some types of functions having special characteristics in the class of highly nonlinear odd-dimensional Boolean-functions. Upper bound can be given for the number of non-zero linear structures of such functions and regarding them as mappings some functional-relations can be proved. From the results one can gain two algorithms. By the help of the first one special highly nonlinear odd dimensional Boolean-functions can be constructed by using functions having the same characteristics, the second one renders possible the construction of bent functions of a one-level higher dimension by the use of special highly nonlinear odd-dimensional Boolean-functions. The paper shows a relation between bent functions in even dimensional Boolean-space and odd dimensional highly nonlinear Boolean functions.     

On the confusion and diffusion properties of Maiorana–McFarland's and extended Maiorana–McFarland's functions

A practical problem in symmetric cryptography is finding constructions of Boolean functions leading to reasonably large sets of functions satisfying some desired cryptographic criteria. The main known construction, called Maiorana–McFarland, has been recently extended. Some other constructions exist, but lead to smaller classes of functions. Here, we study more in detail the nonlinearities and the resiliencies of the functions produced by all these constructions. Further we see how to obtain functions satisfying the propagation criterion (among which bent functions) with these methods, and we give a new construction of bent functions based on the extended Maiorana–McFarland's construction.     

On the <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-ary (cubic) bent and plateaued (vectorial) functions

Plateaued functions play a significant role in cryptography, sequences for communications, and the related combinatorics and designs. Comparing to their importance, those functions have not been studied in detail in a general framework. Our motivation is to bring further results on the characterizations of bent and plateaued functions, and to introduce new tools which allow us firstly a better understanding of their structure and secondly to get methods for handling and designing such functions. We first characterize bent functions in terms of all even moments of the Walsh transform, and then plateaued (vectorial) functions in terms of the value distribution of the second-order derivatives. Moreover, we devote to cubic functions the characterization of plateaued functions in terms of the value distribution of the second-order derivatives, and hence this reveals non-existence of homogeneous cubic bent (and also (homogeneous) cubic plateaued for some cases) functions in odd characteristic. We use a rank notion which generalizes the rank notion of quadratic functions. This rank notion reveals new results about (homogeneous) cubic plateaued functions. Furthermore, we observe non-existence of a function whose absolute Walsh transform takes exactly 3 distinct values (one being zero). We finally provide a new class of functions whose absolute Walsh transform takes exactly 4 distinct values (one being zero).     

Enumeration of the bent functions of least deviation from a quadratic bent function

We study a construction of the bent functions of least deviation from a quadratic bent function, describe all these bent functions of 2k variables, and show that the quantity of them is 2 ^k (2¹ + 1) ... (2 ^k + 1). We find some lower bound on the number of the bent functions of least deviation from a bent function of the Maiorana-McFarland class.     

环Z2l上广义Bent函数的稳定性

文献「４」为研究密钥流序列的线性复杂度稳定性和使一些流密码能抗ＢＡＡ（最佳仿射逼近）攻击,提出Ｂｅｎｔ函数稳定性概念,文献「７」研究了素域Ｚｐ上广义Ｂｅｎｔ函数的稳定性及其构造,并指出当ｍ是合数时,ｍ值广义Ｂｅｎｔ函数并不都有稳定性,本文进一步在环Ｚ２＾ｌ（ｌ〉１）上提出了广义Ｂｅｎｔ函数稳定性的概念,综合应用谱、概率和代数数论的方法考察了稳定的概率意义,给出了稳定函数的概率判别条件,提供了构造稳     

Generalized bent functions and class group of imaginary quadratic fields

Several new results on non-existence of generalized bent functions are presented. The results are related to the class number of imaginary quadratic fields.     

An Alternate Characterization of the Bentness of Binary Functions, with Uniqueness

In a previous paper, we have obtained a characterization of the binary bent functions on (GF(2))ⁿ (n even) as linear combinations modulo , with integral coefficients, of characteristic functions (indicators) of -dimensional vector-subspaces of (GF(2))ⁿ. There is no uniqueness of the representation of a given bent function related to this characterization. We obtain now a new characterization for which there is uniqueness of the representation.     

A novel algorithm enumerating bent functions

Based on the relationship between the Walsh spectra of a Boolean function at partial points and the Walsh spectra of its subfunctions, and on the binary Möbius transform, a novel algorithm is developed, which can theoretically construct all bent functions. Practically we enumerate all bent functions in 6 variables. With the restriction on the algebraic normal form, the algorithm is also efficient in more variables case. For example, enumeration of all homogeneous bent functions of degree 3 in 8 variables can be done in one minute with a P4 1.7 GHz computer; the nonexistence of homogeneous bent functions in 10 variables of degree 4 is computationally proved.     

Strongly regular graphs associated with ternary bent functions

We prove a new characterization of weakly regular ternary bent functions via partial difference sets. Partial difference sets are combinatorial objects corresponding to strongly regular graphs. Using known families of bent functions, we obtain in this way new families of strongly regular graphs, some of which were previously unknown. One of the families includes an example in [N. Hamada, T. Helleseth, A characterization of some {3v₂+v₃,3v₁+v₂,3,3}-minihypers and some [15,4,9;3]-codes with B₂=0, J. Statist. Plann. Inference 56 (1996) 129-146], which was considered to be sporadic; using our results, this strongly regular graph is now a member of an infinite family. Moreover, this paper contains a new proof that the Coulter-Matthews and ternary quadratic bent functions are weakly regular.     

Divisible designs and semi-regular relative difference sets from additive Hadamard cocycles

Additive Hadamard cocycles are a natural generalization of presemifields. In this paper, we study divisible designs and semi-regular relative difference sets obtained from additive Hadamard cocycles. We show that the designs obtained from additive Hadamard cocycles are flag transitive. We introduce a new product construction of Hadamard cocycles. We also study additive Hadamard cocycles whose divisible designs admit a polarity in which all points are absolute. Our main results include generalizations of a theorem of Albert and a theorem of Hiramine from presemifields to additive Hadamard cocycles. At the end, we generalize Maiorana-McFarland?s construction of bent functions to additive Hadamard cocycles.     

New results on non-existence of generalized bent functions (II)

Several new results on non-existence of generalized bent functions are presented by using the class group of related imaginary abelian number fields.     

A construction of bent functions from plateaued functions

In this presentation, a technique for constructing bent functions from plateaued functions is introduced and analyzed. This generalizes earlier techniques for constructing bent from near-bent functions. Using this construction, we obtain a big variety of inequivalent bent functions, some weakly regular and some non-weakly regular. Classes of bent functions having some additional properties that enable the construction of strongly regular graphs are formed, and explicit expressions for bent functions with maximal degree are presented.     

New results on non-existence of generalized bent functions (Ⅱ)

Several new results on non-existence of generalized bent functions are presented by using the class group of related imaginary abelian number fields.     

The eight variable homogeneous degree three bent functions

We determine the affine equivalence classes of the eight variable degree three homogeneous bent functions using a new algorithm. Our algorithm applies to general bent functions and can systematically determine the automorphism groups. We provide a partial verification of the enumeration of eight variable degree three homogeneous bent functions obtained by Meng et al. We determine the affine equivalence classes of these functions.     

Strongly regular graphs constructed from <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-ary bent functions

In this paper, we generalize the construction of strongly regular graphs in Tan et al. (J. Comb. Theory, Ser. A 117:668–682, 2010) from ternary bent functions to p-ary bent functions, where p is an odd prime. We obtain strongly regular graphs with three types of parameters. Using certain non-quadratic p-ary bent functions, our constructions can give rise to new strongly regular graphs for small parameters.     

Results on rotation symmetric bent functions

In this paper we analyze the combinatorial properties related to the Walsh spectra of rotation symmetric Boolean functions on even number of variables. These results are then applied in studying rotation symmetric bent functions. For the first time we could present an enumeration strategy for all the 10-variable rotation symmetric bent functions.     

Construction of bent functions from near-bent functions

We give a construction of bent functions in dimension 2m from near-bent functions in dimension 2m−1. In particular, we give the first ever examples of non-weakly-normal bent functions in dimensions 10 and 12, which demonstrates the significance of our construction.