Parameters of Codes for the Binary Asymmetric Channel

Abstract: We introduce two notions of discrepancy between binary vectors, which are not metric functions in general but nonetheless capture the mathematical structure of the binary asymmetric channel. In turn, these lead to two new fundamental parameters of binary error-correcting codes, both of which measure the probability that the maximum likelihood decoder fails. We then derive various bounds for the cardinality and weight distribution of a binary code in terms of these new parameters, giving examples of codes meeting the bounds with equality.