Properties of sparse random matrices over finite fields

Typical properties of sparse random matrices over finite (Galois) fields are studied, in the limit of large matrices, using techniques from the physics of disordered systems. For the case of a finite field GF(q) with prime order q, we present results for the average kernel dimension, average dimension of the eigenvector spaces and the distribution of the eigenvalues. The number of matrices for a given distribution of entries is also calculated for the general case. The significance of these results to error-correcting codes and random graphs is also discussed.