Multidimensional cyclic codes and Artin-Schreier type hypersurfaces over finite fields (Q2469468)

Let \(\mathbb{F}_q\) be the finite field with \(q\) elements. A \(q\)-ary \(\ell\)-dimensional cyclic code of volume (length) \(n_1 \times \cdots \times n_{\ell}\) is an ideal of the quotient ring \(\mathbb{F}_q[X_1, \ldots, X_\ell]/(X_1^{n_1} - 1, \ldots, X^{n_\ell} - 1)\), where \(n_1, ,\ldots, n_\ell\) are positive integers assumed to be relatively prime. One of the main results in the paper under review is the description of a trace representation for such a code. Thus, given a code \(C\) as above the authors prove that it is the set of (classes of) certain polynomials whose coefficients are traces of elements of \(\mathbb{F}_{q^m}\), where \(m\) is such that \(n_i \; | \; (q^m - 1)\) for all \(i = 1, \ldots, \ell\). Using this result they obtain a lower bound for the minimum distance of \(q\)-ary \(\ell\)-dimensional cyclic codes and also for some subfield codes, which prove to be better than known bounds in some cases.