On the sparseness of certain linear MRD codes (Q2309683)

One of the most studied question regarding rank metric codes is whether the MRD codes of \(\mathbb{F}_{q}^{m\times n}\) (under certain conditions) are dense or not in \(\mathbb{F}_{q}^{m\times n}\). \textit{A. Neri} et al. [Des. Codes Cryptography 86, No. 2, 341--363 (2018; Zbl 1412.94247)] proved that the family of \(\mathbb{F}_{q^m}\)-linear MRD codes (i.e.\ those having one of the idealisers isomorphic to \(\mathbb{F}_{q^m}\)) is dense in the family of rank metric codes of \(\mathbb{F}_{q}^{m\times n}\) having the same dimension. This is not true whenever we consider \(\mathbb{F}_q\)-linear MRD codes: \textit{E. Byrne} and \textit{A. Ravagnani} [J. Comb. Theory, Ser. A 171, Article ID 105169, 39 p. (2020; Zbl 1467.94047)] proved that the density of \(\mathbb{F}_q\)-linear MRD codes in \(\mathbb{F}_{q}^{m\times n}\) in the set of all matrix codes of the same dimension is asymptotically at most \(1/2\), both as \(q \rightarrow +\infty\) and as \(m \rightarrow +\infty\). See also the paper [\textit{J. Antrobus} and \textit{H. Gluesing-Luerssen}, IEEE Trans. Inf. Theory 65, No. 10, 6204--6223 (2019; Zbl 1432.94182)]. In the paper under review, the author determines the proportion of the family of MRD codes in \(\mathbb{F}_q^{3 \times 3}\) having minimum distance \(3\) in the space of \(3\)-dimensional \(\mathbb{F}_q\)-linear rank metric codes of \(\mathbb{F}_q^{3\times 3}\), obtained by using a result of \textit{G. Menichetti} [Ann. Mat. Pura Appl. (4) 97, 283--301 (1973; Zbl 0281.13005)] on \(3\)-dimensional semifields. As a consequence, the author shows that such MRD codes are sparse as this proportion goes to zero as \(q \rightarrow +\infty\). This is the only parameter case for which MRD codes are known to be sparse.