On The Number of Different Entries in Involutory MDS Matrices over Finite Fields of Characteristic Two

Two of many criteria of a good MDS matrix are being involutory and having few different elements. This paper investigates the number of different entries in an involutory MDS matrices of order 1, 2, 3, and 4 over finite fields of characteristic two. There are at least three and four different elements in an involutory MDS matrices with, respectively, order three and four, over finite fields of characteristic two.