/- Copyright (c) 2022 Michael Stoll. All rights reserved. Released under Apache 2.0 license as described in the file LICENSE. Authors: Michael Stoll -/ import ring_theory.trace import field_theory.finite.basic import field_theory.finite.galois_field /-! # The trace map for finite fields We state the fact that the trace map from a finite field of characteristic `p` to `zmod p` is nondegenerate. ## Tags finite field, trace -/ namespace finite_field /-- The trace map from a finite field to its prime field is nongedenerate. -/ lemma trace_to_zmod_nondegenerate (F : Type*) [field F] [fintype F] {a : F} (ha : a ≠ 0) : ∃ b : F, algebra.trace (zmod (ring_char F)) F (a * b) ≠ 0 := begin haveI : fact (ring_char F).prime := ⟨char_p.char_is_prime F _⟩, have htr := trace_form_nondegenerate (zmod (ring_char F)) F a, simp_rw [algebra.trace_form_apply] at htr, by_contra' hf, exact ha (htr hf), end end finite_field