On some constacyclic codes over $$\mathbb {Z}_{4}\left[ u\right] /\left\langle u^{2}-1\right\rangle $$, their $$\mathbb {Z}_4$$Z4 images,and new codes

In this paper, we study \(\lambda \)-constacyclic codes over the ring \(R=\mathbb {Z}_4+u\mathbb {Z}_4\) where \(u^{2}=1\), for \(\lambda =3+2u\) and \(2+3u\). Two new Gray maps from R to \(\mathbb {Z}_4^{3}\) are defined with the goal of obtaining new linear codes over \(\mathbb {Z}_4\). The Gray images of \(\lambda \)-constacyclic codes over R are determined. We then conducted a computer search and obtained many \(\lambda \)-constacyclic codes over R whose \(\mathbb {Z}_4\)-images have better parameters than currently best-known linear codes over \(\mathbb {Z}_4\).