A new formulation of the law of octic reciprocity for primes ￠ ‰ ±3(mod8) and its consequences

Let p and q be odd primes with q ￠ ‰ ±3(mod8), p ￠ ‰ 1(mod8)=a2+b2=c2+d2 and with the signs of a and c chosen so that a ￠ ‰ c ￠ ‰ 1(mod4). In this paper we show step-by-step how to easily obtain for large q necessary and sufficient criteria to have ( ￠ ’1(q ￠ ’1)/2q(p ￠ ’1)/8 ￠ ‰ (a ￠ ’b)d/ac)j(modp) for j=1, ￠ € |,8 (the cases with j odd have been treated only recently [3] in connection with the sign ambiguity in Jacobsthal sums of order 4. This is accomplished by breaking the formula of A.E. Western into three distinct parts involving two polynomials and a Legendre symbol; the latter condition restricts the validity of the method presented in section 2 to primes q ￠ ‰ 3(mod8) and significant modification is needed to obtain similar results for q ￠ ‰ ±1(mod8). Only recently the author has completely resolved the case q ￠ ‰ 5(mod8), j=1, ￠ € |,8 and a sketch of the method appears in the closing section of this paper.