The geometry of one-weight codes in the sum-rank metric

Abstract

We provide a geometric characterization of k-dimensional Fqm-linear sum-rank metric codes as tuples of Fq-subspaces of Fqmk. We then use this characterization to study one-weight codes in the sum-rank metric. This leads us to extend the family of linearized Reed-Solomon codes in order to obtain a doubly-extended version of them. We prove that these codes are still maximum sum-rank distance (MSRD) codes and, when k=2, they are one-weight, as in the Hamming-metric case. We then focus on constant rank-profile codes in the sum-rank metric, which are a special family of one weight-codes, and derive constraints on their parameters with the aid of an associated Hamming-metric code. Furthermore, we introduce the n-simplex codes in the sum-rank metric, which are obtained as the orbit of a Singer subgroup of GL(k,qm). They turn out to be constant rank-profile – and hence one-weight – and generalize the simplex codes in both the Hamming and the rank metric. Finally, we focus on 2-dimensional one-weight codes, deriving constraints on the parameters of those which are also MSRD, and we find a new construction of one-weight MSRD codes when q=2.