Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge / 2020 / ii / Paper 1 / 18G / b / iii

Write $q=p^r$, where $p=\mathrm{char}K$. Forthe derivative isso $h$ is a separable polynomial and all its roots in its splitting field $L$ are distinct.

Let $R$ be the set of these roots. The Frobenius endomorphism and the identitiesshow that $R$ is closed under addition and multiplication. It is also closed under additive inverses and, for $x\ne 0$, inversion. Thus $R$ is a finite field. Since $h$ splits into $q^n$ distinct linear factors, $|R|=q^n$. The field generated by all roots is therefore $R$ itself, so $L=R$ andHence the polynomial characterization of a finite field gives

Now let $f\in K[X]$ be irreducible of degree $n$, and let $\alpha$ be a root in an algebraic closure. The minimal polynomial of an algebraic element givesso $K(\alpha )$ has $q^n$ elements. Its nonzero elements form a finite group under multiplication, of order $q^n-1$; hence ${\alpha }^{q^n}=\alpha$. Therefore $\alpha$ is a root of $X^{q^n}-X$, and its minimal polynomial $f$ divides every polynomial over $K$ that vanishes at $\alpha$. Thus the irreducible factors of a finite-field Frobenius polynomial satisfy