Two-weight ternary codes and the equation y2 = 4 × 3a + 13

This paper determines the parameters of all two-weight ternary codes C with the property that the minimum weight in the dual code C^⊥ is at least 4. This yields a characterization of uniformly packed ternary [n, k, 4] codes. The proof rests on finding all integer solutions of the equation y² = 4 × 3^a + 13.     

A non-cyclic triple-error-correcting BCH-like code and some minimum distance results

In this paper, we give the first example of a non-cyclic triple-error-correcting code which is not equivalent to the primitive BCH code. It has parameters [63, 45, 7]. We also give better bounds on minimum distances of some [2 ⁿ ? 1, 2 ⁿ - 3n - 1] cyclic codes with three small zeroes. Finally, we reprove weight distribution results of Kasami for triple-error-correcting BCH-like codes using direct methods.     

The Nonexistence of Ternary [38, 6, 23] Codes

It has been shown by Bogdanova and Boukliev [1] that there exist a ternary [38,5,24] code and a ternary [37,5,23] code. But it is unknown whether or not there exist a ternary [39,6,24] code and a ternary [38,6,23] code. The purpose of this paper is to prove that (1) there is no ternary [39,6,24] code and (2) there is no ternary [38,6,23] code using the nonexistence of ternary [39,6,24] codes. Since it is known (cf. Brouwer and Sloane [2] and Hamada and Watamori [14]) that (i) n₃(6,23) = 38> or 39 and d₃(38,6) = 22 or 23 and (ii) n₃(6,24) = 39 or 40 and d₃(39,6) = 23 or 24, this implies that n₃(6,23) = 39, d₃(38,6) = 22, n₃(6,24) = 40 and d₃(39,6) = 23, where n3<>(k,d) and d<>3(n,k) denote the smallest value of n and the largest value of d, respectively, for which there exists an [n,k,d] code over the Galois field GF(3).     

The codes and the lattices of Hadamard matrices

It has been observed by Assmus and Key as a result of the complete classification of Hadamard matrices of order 24, that the extremality of the binary code of a Hadamard matrix H of order 24 is equivalent to the extremality of the ternary code of H^T. In this note, we present two proofs of this fact, neither of which depends on the classification. One is a consequence of a more general result on the minimum weight of the dual of the code of a Hadamard matrix. The other relates the lattices obtained from the binary code and the ternary code. Both proofs are presented in greater generality to include higher orders. In particular, the latter method is also used to show the equivalence of (i) the extremality of the ternary code, (ii) the extremality of the Z₄-code, and (iii) the extremality of a lattice obtained from a Hadamard matrix of order 48.     

An Infinite Family of 3-Designs from Preparata Codes overZ4

We show that the support of minimum Lee weight codewords having Hamming weight 5 in the Preparata code over Z₄ form a 3-(2^m,5,10) design for any odd integer m 3.     

Optimal ternary quasi-cyclic codes

Quasi-cyclic codes have provided a rich source of good linear codes. Previous constructions of quasi-cyclic codes have been confined mainly to codes whose length is a multiple of the dimension. In this paper it is shown how searches may be extended to codes whose length is a multiple of some integer which is greater than the dimension. The particular case of 5-dimensional codes over GF(3) is considered and a number of optimal codes (i.e., [n, k, d]-codes having largest possible minimum distance d for given length n and dimension k) are constructed. These include ternary codes with parameters [45, 5, 28], [36, 5, 22], [42, 5, 26], [48, 5, 30] and [72, 5, 46], all of which improve on the previously best known bounds.This research has been supported by the British SERC.     

Codes with the Same Weight Distributions as the Goethals Codes and the Delsarte-Goethals Codes

The Goethals code is a binary nonlinear code of length 2^m+1 which has codewords and minimum Hamming distance 8 for any odd . Recently, Hammons et. al. showed that codes with the same weight distribution can be obtained via the Gray map from a linear code over Z ₄of length 2^m and Lee distance 8. The Gray map of the dual of the corresponding Z ₄ code is a Delsarte-Goethals code. We construct codes over Z ₄ such that their Gray maps lead to codes with the same weight distribution as the Goethals codes and the Delsarte-Goethals codes.     

New uniqueness proofs for the (5, 8, 24), (5, 6, 12) and related Steiner systems

New elementary proofs of the uniqueness of certain Steiner systems using coding theory are presented. In the process some of the codes involved are shown to be unique.The uniqueness proof for the (5, 8, 24) Steiner system is due to John Conway. The blocks of the system are used to generate a length 24 binary code. Any two such codes are then shown to be equivalent up to a permutation of the coordinates. This code turns out to be the extended Golay code.In the uniqueness proof for the (4, 7, 23) system, the blocks generate a length 23 code which is extended to a length 24 code. The minimum weight vectors of this larger code hold a (5, 8, 24) Steiner system. This result together with the previous one completes the proof. At this point it is also possible to conclude that the codes involved are unique and hence equivalent to the binary perfect Golay code and its extension.Continuing with the uniqueness result for the (3, 6, 22) Steiner system, the blocks generate a length 22 code which is extended to the same length 24 code by the addition of two coordinates and one additional vector. This extension ultimately requires the computation of the coset weight distribution of the length 22 code, a result heretofore unknown. The complete coset weight distribution for a specific (22, 11, 6) self-dual code is computed using the CAMAC computer system.The (5, 6, 12) and (4, 5, 11) Steiner systems are treated differently. It is shown that each system is completely determined by the choice of six blocks which may be assumed to lie in any such design. These six blocks in fact form a basis for length 12 (and 11) ternary codes corresponding to the two systems and may be generated by an algorithm independent of the designs. This algorithm is presented and the minimum weight vectors of the resulting codes, the perfect ternary Golay code and its extension, are calculated by the CAMAC system.     

A Combinatorial construction of the Gray map over Galois rings

In this correspondence, we will introduce a new combinatorial method for a coordinate-wise construction of the homogeneous-weight preserving Gray map for Galois rings by using elementary tools from Affine Geometries. Our construction differs in the methods used from the algebraic constructions done previously in [M. Greferath, S.E. Schmidt, Gray Isometries for finite chain rings and a nonlinear ternary (36, 3¹², 15) code, IEEE Trans. Inform. Theory 45 (1999) 2522-2524; S. Ling, J.T. Blackford, Z_pk+1-linear codes, IEEE Trans. Inform. Theory 48 (2002) 2592-2605].     

Binary extremal self-dual codes of length 60 and related codes

We give a classification of four-circulant singly even self-dual [60, 30, d] codes for \(d=10\) and 12. These codes are used to construct extremal singly even self-dual [60, 30, 12] codes with weight enumerator for which no extremal singly even self-dual code was previously known to exist. From extremal singly even self-dual [60, 30, 12] codes, we also construct optimal singly even self-dual [58, 29, 10] codes with weight enumerator for which no optimal singly even self-dual code was previously known to exist. Finally, we give some restriction on the possible weight enumerators of certain singly even self-dual codes with shadow of minimum weight 1.     

A symmetric Roos bound for linear codes

The van Lint-Wilson AB-method yields a short proof of the Roos bound for the minimum distance of a cyclic code. We use the AB-method to obtain a different bound for the weights of a linear code. In contrast to the Roos bound, the role of the codes A and B in our bound is symmetric. We use the bound to prove the actual minimum distance for a class of dual BCH codes of length q²−1 over Fq. We give cyclic codes [63,38,16] and [65,40,16] over F₈ that are better than the known [63,38,15] and [65,40,15] codes.     

On the classification and enumeration of self-dual codes

A complete classification is given of all [22, 11] and [24, 12] binary self-dual codes. For each code we give the order of its group, the number of codes equivalent to it, and its weight distribution. There is a unique [24, 12, 6] self-dual code. Several theorems on the enumeration of self-dual codes are used, including formulas for the number of such codes with minimum distance ? 4, and for the sum of the weight enumerators of all such codes of length n. Selforthogonal codes which are generated by code words of weight 4 are completely characterized.     

On the Construction of Some Type II Codes over Z 4×Z4

We consider here the construction of Type II codes over the abelian group Z₄×Z₄. The definition of Type II codes here is based on the definitions introduced by Bannai [2]. The emphasis is given on the construction of these types of codes over the abelian group Z₄×Z₄ and in particular, the methods applied by Gaborit [7] in the construction of codes over Z₄ was extended to four different dualities with their corresponding weight functions (maps assigning weights to the alphabets of the code). In order to do this, we use the flattened form of the codes and construct binary codes analogous to the ones applied to Z₄ codes. Since each duality generates more than one weight function, we focus on those weights satisfying the squareness property. Here, by the squareness property, we mean that the weight function wt assigns the weight 0 to the Z₄×Z₄ elements (0, 0),(2, 2) and the weight 4 to the elements (0, 2) and (2, 0). The main results of this paper are focused on the characterization of these codes and provide a method of construction that can be applied in the generation of such codes whose weight functions satisfy the squareness property.     

Ring geometries,two-weight codes,and strongly regular graphs

It is known that a projective linear two-weight code C over a finite field corresponds both to a set of points in a projective space over that meets every hyperplane in either a or b points for some integers a < b, and to a strongly regular graph whose vertices may be identified with the codewords of C. Here we extend this classical result to the case of a ring-linear code with exactly two nonzero homogeneous weights and sets of points in an associated projective ring geometry. We will introduce regular projective two-weight codes over finite Frobenius rings, we will show that such a code gives rise to a strongly regular graph, and we will give some constructions of two-weight codes using ring geometries. All these examples yield infinite families of strongly regular graphs with non-trivial parameters.      

A Gap in GRM Code Weight Distributions

The weight distribution of GRM (generalized Reed-Muller) codes is unknown in general. This article describes and applies some new techniques to the codes over F3. Specifically, we decompose GRM codewords into words from smaller codes and use this decomposition, along with a projective geometry technique, to relate weights occurring in one code with weights occurring in simpler codes. In doing so, we discover a new gap in the weight distribution of many codes. In particular, we show there is no word of weight 3^m–2 in GRM₃(4,m) for m>6, and for even-order codes over the ternary field, we show that under certain conditions, there is no word of weight d+, where d is the minimum distance and is the largest integer dividing all weights occurring in the code.     

3-Designs from the Z 4-Goethals Codes via a New Kloosterman Sum Identity

Recently, active research has been performed on constructing t-designs from linear codes over Z ₄. In this paper, we will construct a new simple 3 – (2 ^m , 7, 14/3 (2 ^m – 8)) design from codewords of Hamming weight 7 in the Z ₄-Goethals code for odd m 5. For 3 arbitrary positions, we will count the number of codewords of Hamming weight 7 whose support includes those 3 positions. This counting can be simplified by using the double-transitivity of the Goethals code and divided into small cases. It turns out interestingly that, in almost all cases, this count is related to the value of a Kloosterman sum. As a result, we can also prove a new Kloosterman sum identity while deriving the 3-design.     

On the construction of [q 4 + q 2 − q, 5,q 4 − q 3 + q 2 − 2q; q]-codes meeting the Griesmer bound

It is unknown whether or not there exists an [87, 5, 57; 3]-code. Such a code would meet the Griesmer bound. The purpose of this paper is to give a constructive proof of the existence of [q ⁴ + q ² – q, 5, q ⁴ – q ³ + q ² – 2q; q]-codes for any prime power q 3. As a special case, it is shown that there exists an [87, 5, 57; 3]-code with weight enumerator 1 + 156z ³⁷ + 82z ⁶⁰ + 2z ⁶³ + 2z ⁷⁸. The new construction settles an open problem due to Hill and Newton [10].     

New Linear Codes Over \mathbb{F}_3 and \mathbb{F}_5 and Improvements on Bounds

One of the most important problems of coding theory is to constructcodes with best possible minimum distances. In this paper, we generalize the method introduced by [8] and obtain new codes which improve the best known minimum distance bounds of some linear codes. We have found a new linear ternary code and 8 new linear codes over with improved minimumdistances. First we introduce a generalized version of Gray map,then we give definition of quasi cyclic codes and introduce nearlyquasi cyclic codes. Next, we give the parameters of new codeswith their generator matrices. Finally, we have included twotables which give Hamming weight enumerators of these new codes.     

Trellis Structure and Higher Weights of Extremal Self-Dual Codes

A method for demonstrating and enumerating uniformly efficient (permutation-optimal) trellis decoders for self-dual codes of high minimum distance is developed. Such decoders and corresponding permutations are known for relatively few codes.The task of finding such permutations is shown to be substantially simplifiable in the case of self-dual codes in general, and for self-dual codes of sufficiently high minimum distance it is shown that it is frequently possible to deduce the existence of these permutations directly from the parameters of the code.A new and tighter link between generalized Hamming weights and trellis representations is demonstrated: for some self-dual codes, knowledge of one of the generalized Hamming weights is sufficient to determine the entire optimal state complexity profile.These results are used to characterize the permutation-optimal trellises and generalized Hamming weights for all [32,16,8] binary self-dual codes and for several other codes. The numbers of uniformly efficient permutations for several codes, including the [24,12,8] Golay code and both [24,12,9] ternary self-dual codes, are found.