AG codes from the second generalization of the GK maximal curve (Q2305924)

Fix a prime power $q \geq 2$. A curve $X$ of genus $g$ over the finite field $GF(q)$ is \textit{$GF(q)$-maximal} if the cardinality of its set of $GF(q)$-ratonal points is maximal, i.e., when the Hasse-Weil upper bound is attained, $|X(GF(q))|=q+1+2g\sqrt{q}$. The family of GK-curves considered in the paper under review is a family of $GF(q)$-maximal curves constructed by \textit{P. Beelen} and \textit{M. Montanucci} [J. Lond. Math. Soc., II. Ser. 98, No. 3, 573--592 (2018; Zbl 1446.11119)]. Let $X$ be such a GK-curve. The authors investigate AG codes attached $X$ (i.e., linear $[n,k,d]_q$-codes constructed by evaluating functions in certain Riemann-Roch spaces attached to a divisor of $X$ at a fixed set of $n$ $GF(q)$-rational points on $X$). To compute the dimension $k$, they use standard techniques involving the Riemann-Roch theorem. To give a lower bound for the minumum distance $d$, they compute the Feng-Rao designed minimum distance. To accomplish this computation, which takes up the majority of the paper, they use Weierstrass semi-group computations. The last section of the paper contains tables of parameters of selected AG codes, with more tables in the arXiv version of the paper. The paper ends with a construction of AG quantum codes attached to GK-curves.