\((l,s)\)-extension of linear codes (Q998537)

The authors develop an algorithm for extending linear codes over finite fields. This algorithm is based on the newly defined \((l,s)\)-extension that is a generalization of the known method of one-step or two-step extendability of linear codes. This method tries to extend the generator matrix of a linear code \(C\) by adding \(l\) columns with the following property: at least \(s\) of the \(l\) letters added to each codeword of minimum weight are different from 0. The question whether such \(l\) columns exist can be settled using a Diophantine system of equations. By this algorithm new linear codes with high minimum distance are constructed. In at least 12 cases these codes improve the previously known bounds on the minimum distance for fixed parameters \(n\), \(k\). Particularly, an optimal ternary \([88,8,54]_3\) code is constructed.