The weight distribution of the functional codes defined by forms of degree 2 on Hermitian surfaces (Q1032671)

The author studies functional codes \(C_h(X)\) introduced by \textit{G. Lachaud} [Arithmetic, geometry, and coding theory. Proceedings of the international conference held at CIRM, Luminy, France, 1993. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 77--104 (1993; Zbl 0876.94046)] in the particular case where \(X\) is the non-degenerate Hermitian surface \(X: x_0^{t+1}+x_1^{t+1}+ x_2^{t+1}+ x_3^{t+1}= 0\) in \(\mathrm{PG}(3, t^2)\) and \(h=2\). In other words, if \(\mathcal{F}\) is the vector space of all homogeneous quadratic polynomials in four variables with coefficients over \(\mathbb{F}_{t^2}\), \[ C_2(X)=\{(f(P_1),\dots,f(P_n))\mid f\in \mathcal{F}\cup 0\}, \] where \(P_1,\dots,P_n\) is the set of rational points of \(X\) over \(\mathbb{F}_{t^2}\) with normalized coordinates with respect to the leftmost non-zero coordinate. In a previous work [Finite Fields Appl. 13, No. 3, 616--627 (2007; Zbl 1155.94022)], the author proves that the number of common rational points \(\mathbb{F}_{t^2}\) between \(X\) and any form of degree \(2\) is at most \(2(t^3+t^2-t)+t+1\). This implies that the minimum distance of the code \(C_2(X)\) is bounded by \(n-2(t^3+t^2-t)+t+1\). In a recent paper, \textit{A. Hallez} and \textit{L. Storme} [Finite Fields Appl. 16, No. 1, 27--35 (2010; Zbl 1219.94091)] proved the same result when \(X\) is the non-degenerate Hermitian variety in \(\mathrm{PG}(N, t^2)\). In the present paper, the author completes the previous work by proving that the number of codewords of second weight \(w_2=t^5-t^3\) is equal to \(A_{w_2}=\frac{1}{2}(t^5+t^3+t^2+1)(3t^2-t+1)t^2\), moreover these codewords are reached by evaluating: - hyperbolic quadrics containing three skew lines of \(X\), - quadrics which are union of two tangent planes meeting at a line contained in \(X\), - quadrics which are pair of two planes, one tangent plane to \(X\) and a second not tangent to \(X\) and the line of intersection of the two planes meeting \(X\) at a single point. He also proves, that the number of codewords of third weight \(w_3=t^5-t^3+t\) is equal to \(A_{w_3}=(t^2-1)(t^5+t^3+t^2+1)(t^6-t^5)\), moreover these codewords are reached by evaluating quadrics which are the union of two planes -one tangent to the hermitian surface \(X\) and the second not tangent to \(X\)- and the line of intersection of the two planes intersect the hermitian surface in \(t+1\) points. Finally he conjectures that the fourth and fifth weights are \(w_4=2t^3+1\) and \(w_5=2t^3-t+1\).