Non-split Toric Codes

Abstract

We introduce a new wide class of error-correcting codes, called non-split toric codes. These codes are a natural generalization of toric codes where non-split algebraic tori are taken instead of usual (i.e., split) ones. The main advantage of the new codes is their cyclicity; hence, they can possibly be decoded quite fast. Many classical codes, such as (doubly-extended) Reed-Solomon and (projective) Reed-Muller codes, are contained (up to equivalence) in the new class. Our codes are explicitly described in terms of algebraic and toric geometries over finite fields; therefore, they can easily be constructed in practice. Finally, we obtain new cyclic reversible codes, namely non-split toric codes on the del Pezzo surface of degree 6 and Picard number 1. We also compute their parameters, which prove to attain current lower bounds at least for small finite fields.