Hypergeometric Functions over Finite Fields and Modular Forms: A Survey and New Conjectures

Abstract

Hypergeometric functions over finite fields were introduced by Greene in the 1980s as a finite field analogue of classical hypergeometric series. These functions, and their generalizations, naturally lend themselves to, and have been widely used in, character sum evaluations and counting points on algebraic varieties. More interestingly, perhaps, are their links to Fourier coefficients of modular forms. In this paper, we outline the main results in this area and also conjecture 13 new relations.