De Bruijn Tori Without Zeros: A Field-Theoretic Perspective

Abstract

We present an algebraic construction of trace-based De Bruijn tori over finite fields, focusing on the nonzero variant that omits the all-zero pattern. The construction arranges nonzero field elements on a toroidal grid using two multiplicatively independent generators, with values obtained by applying a fixed linear map, typically the field trace. We characterize sampling patterns as subsets whose associated field elements form an \( \mathbb{F}_p \)-basis, and show that column structures correspond to cyclic shifts of De Bruijn sequences determined by irreducible polynomials over subfields. Recursive update rules based on multiplicative translations enable efficient computation.