Published online by Cambridge University Press: 17 April 2009
Let Fq be the finite field of order q, an odd number, Q a non-degenerate quadratic form on , O(n, Q) the orthogonal group defined by Q. Regard O(n, Q) as a linear group of Fq -automorphisms acting linearly on the rational function field Fq(x1, …, xn). We shall prove that the invariant subfield Fq(x1,…, xn)O(n, Q) is a purely transcendental extension over Fq for n = 5 by giving a set of generators for it.