Error correcting index codes and matroids

Abstract

The connection between index coding and matroid theory have been well studied in the recent past. El Rouayheb et al. established a connection between multi linear representation of matroids and wireless index coding. Muralidharan and Rajan showed that a vector linear solution to an index coding problem exists if and only if there exists a representable discrete polymatroid satisfying certain conditions. Recently index coding with erroneous transmission was considered by Dau et al.. Error correcting index codes in which all receivers are able to correct a fixed number of errors was studied. In this paper we consider a more general scenario in which each receiver is able to correct a desired number of errors, calling such index codes differential error correcting index codes. A link between differential error correcting index codes and certain matroids is established. We define matroidal differential error correcting index codes and we show that a scalar linear differential error correcting index code exists if and only if it is matroidal differential error correcting index code associated with a representable matroid.