The Exact Second Generalized Covering Radius of Binary Primitive Triple-Error-Correcting BCH Codes

Abstract

Let $C_m:=\mathrm{BCH}(3,m)$ be the binary primitive triple-error-correcting BCH code of length $2^m-1$. We determine its second generalized covering radius exactly: $R_2(C_m)=8$ for every $m\ge 5$. Equivalently, every two-dimensional syndrome subspace is contained in the binary span of at most eight parity-check columns, and eight columns are necessary in the worst case. This matches the known lower bound.

arXiv comment25 pages. Revised proofs and exposition; main result unchanged. The accompanying verification artifact is available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21796632