The Lucas test for primes #
This file implements the Lucas test for primes (not to be confused with the Lucas-Lehmer test for
Mersenne primes). A number a
witnesses that n
is prime if a
has order n-1
in the
multiplicative group of integers mod n
. This is checked by verifying that a^(n-1) = 1 (mod n)
and a^d ≠ 1 (mod n)
for any divisor d | n - 1
. This test is the basis of the Pratt primality
certificate.
TODO #
- Write a tactic that uses this theorem to generate Pratt primality certificates
- Integrate Pratt primality certificates into the norm_num primality verifier
Implementation notes #
Note that the proof for lucas_primality
relies on analyzing the multiplicative group
modulo p
. Despite this, the theorem still holds vacuously for p = 0
and p = 1
. In these
cases, we can take q
to be any prime and see that hd
does not hold, since a^((p-1)/q)
reduces
to 1
.
If a^(p-1) = 1 mod p
, but a^((p-1)/q) ≠ 1 mod p
for all prime factors q
of p-1
, then p
is prime. This is true because a
has order p-1
in the multiplicative group mod p
, so this
group must itself have order p-1
, which only happens when p
is prime.
If p
is prime, then there exists an a
such that a^(p-1) = 1 mod p
and a^((p-1)/q) ≠ 1 mod p
for all prime factors q
of p-1
.
The multiplicative group mod p
is cyclic, so a
can be any generator of the group
(which must have order p-1
).