Composite constructions of self-dual codes from group rings and new extremal self-dual binary codes of length 68 (Q2210642)

Let \(\mathbb{F}_q\) denote the finite field of order \(q\), \(q=p^h\), \(p\) prime and \(h \geq 1\). Let \(\mathbb{F}_4 + u \mathbb{F}_4\) denote the ring \(\mathbb{F}_4[u] / \langle u^2 \rangle\). In this paper, new composite constructions from group rings, based on groups of order 4 and 8, are described. By a lifting procedure, codes over \(\mathbb{F}_4 + u \mathbb{F}_4\) are obtained which have Gray images of extremal self-dual binary codes of length 64. Then the new composite constructions are used to find extremal binary self-dual codes of length 68 over the ring \(\mathbb{F}_2 + u \mathbb{F}_2\).