The geometry of one-weight codes in the sum-rank metric
We provide a geometric characterization of k-dimensional 𝔽_q^m-linear sum-rank metric codes as tuples of 𝔽_q-subspaces of 𝔽_q^m^k. 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,q^m). 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.
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