An extension theorem for linear codes (Q1963162)

The author gives a simple sufficient condition for the existence of an extension of an \([n,k,d]_q\) code (with \((d,q)=1\)) to an \([n+1,k,d+1]_q\) code: if the weights of the code are all congruent to \(0\) or \(d\) modulo \(q\) then the code can be extended and the weights of the new code are all congruent to \(0\) or \(d+1\) modulo \(q\). The proof is quite elementary. Applications are given to the construction of new codes, such as a \([51,5,36]_4\) code, and to non-existence results, such as the non-existence of a \([47,6,29]_3\) code. In the final section the theorem is used to show the uniqueness of \([q^2,4,q^2-q-1]_q\) codes for odd \(q\), and this in turn is applied to rederive a well-known result in finite geometry.