BCH code

Group, Ring and Field

• A GROUP is a set G which is CLOSED under an operation ∗ (that is,
for any x, y ∈ G, x ∗ y ∈ G) and satisfies the following properties:
• (1) Identity – There is an element e in G, such that for every x ∈ G, e ∗ x = x ∗ e
= x.
• (2) Inverse – For every x in G there is an element y ∈ G such that x ∗ y = y ∗ x =
e, where again e is the identity.
• (3) Associativity – The following identity holds for every x, y, z ∈ G: x ∗ (y ∗ z) =
(x ∗ y) ∗ z
• Commutative groups are Abelian group.
• (a) CLOSURE: Given any two integers mod n, their sum (via addition modulo n)
is an integer mod n by definition. (Again, to be clear, the operation ∗ described
above is addition modulo n.)
• (b) IDENTITY: 0 mod n is the identity element, since a ∗ 0 means a + 0 mod n,
which is clearly a mod n.
• (c) INVERSE: Given any a (mod n), we must find an inverse b so that a ∗ b = e in
the group, i.e. a + b ≡ 0 (mod n). The inverse to any a in this case is n − a.
• (d) ASSOCIATIVITY: The integers are associative, by basic rules of addition, so
the integers mod n are also associative. That is, since a + (b + c) = (a + b) + c,
then it follows that a + (b + c) ≡ (a + b) + c (n)
Group, Ring and Field (contd…)
• A RING is a set R which is CLOSED under two operations + and ×
and satisfying the following properties:
• (1) R is an abelian group under +.
• (2) Associativity of × – For every a, b, c ∈ R, a × (b × c) = (a × b) × c
• (3) Distributive Properties – For every a, b, c ∈ R the following
identities hold: a × (b + c) = (a × b) + (a × c) and (b + c) × a = b × a +
c × a.

• A FIELD is a set F which is closed under two operations + and ×

such that
• (1) F is an abelian group under + and
• (2) F − {0} (the set F without the additive identity 0) is an abelian
group under ×.
 Galois Field
• Finite Field: A field with finite number of elements Finite Field: also
known as Galois Field
• The number of elements is always a power of a prime number. Hence,
denoted as GF(pm)
• GF(p) is the set of integers {0,1, … , p-1} with arithmetic operations
modulo prime p [hence comes the concept of Base field and Extension
field]
• Can do addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division without
leaving the field GF(p). For an e.g. GF(2), GF(5), GF(23)
• For, GF(22) with elements
{0, 1, 2, 3} the addition and
multiplication (table) will be-
Primitive Field Element and some polynomials
• The field element of the GF, that can generate all the nonzero field
elements of the group is called primitive elements of the field. For an
e.g. 2 is a primitive element for GF(5)
• Irreducible polynomial: no other factor other than 1 and the polynomial
itself.
• for any positive integer m, at least one irreducible polynomial of degree m, and it
divides xr+1 where r=2m-1
• An irreducible polynomial having a primitive field element as root is
called primitive polynomial
• A smallest degree polynomial is known as minimal polynomial of α
which has α as a root and the coefficients in GF(p) [base field].
• Two elements of GF(pm) that share the same minimal polynomial over GF(p) are
called
Conjugates with respect to GF(p)
BCH Codes (Description)
• The Bose, Chaudhuri, and Hocquenghem (BCH) codes form a large
class of powerful random error-correcting cyclic codes.
• This code is a generalization of the Hamming code for multiple-error
correction.
• Binary BCH codes in considered here. Non-binary BCH codes such
as Reed-Solomon codes are there.
• For any positive integers m ≥ 3 and t < 2m−1, there exists a binary
BCH code with the following parameters:
Block length: n = 2m − 1
Number of parity-check digits: n − k ≤ mt
Minimum distance: dmin ≥ 2t + 1.
Construction of BCH
We call this code a t-error-correcting BCH code.
• Let α be a primitive element in GF(2m). The generator
polynomial g(x) of the t-error-correcting BCH code of length 2m −
1 is the lowest-degree polynomial over GF(2) which has α, α2 , α3
, . . . , α2t as its roots.
• g(αi ) = 0 for 1 ≤ i ≤ 2t and g(x) has α, α2 , . . . , α2t and their
conjugates as all its roots.
• Let φi(x) be the minimal polynomial of αi . Then g(x) must be the
least common multiple of φ1(x), φ2(x), . . . , φ2t(x), i.e.,
• g(x) = LCM{φ1(x), φ2(x), . . . , φ2t(x)}.
 Construction of a BCH code (example)
• Let, α, α2, α3, …, α2t be the consecutive 2t [t-error correcting] number of
roots
• The generator polynomial g(x) of the t-error correcting BCH is given by-
Example contd…
Reed Solomon code (RS code)
• Non-binary BCH code [good at dealing with bursts errors]
• The GF(q) [symbol field (sub-field)] and GF(qm) [error locator
field (extension field)] are the same i.e. m=1
• Block length, n=2m-1
• The generator polynomial for a t-error correcting RS code:
g(x) = LCM[f1(x), f2(x), ……, f2t(x)]
= (x – α)(x – α2) …….. (x – α2t–1)(x – α2t) [using set of conjugates]
• The degree of the generator polynomial will always be 2t