Hypergeometric functions over finite fields

Abstract: We give a definition of generalized hypergeometric functions over finite fields using modified Gauss sums, which enables us to find clear analogy with classical hypergeometric functions over the complex numbers. We study their fundamental properties and prove summation formulas, transformation formulas and product formulas. An application to zeta functions of K3-surfaces is given. In the appendix, we give an elementary proof of the Davenport-Hasse multiplication formula for Gauss sums.