[[63,9,6]] · QEC Challenge

[[63,9,6]] d ≤stabilizer

kd²/n

5.143

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Distance

a general stabilizer code has no X and Z sides: d is the minimum Pauli weight of a nontrivial logical operator (a Y factor counts one qubit), and the witness is one Pauli operator that commutes with every generator and is not a product of them

d 6 · witness Pauli weight 6 (claimed upper_bound)

witness operator (Pauli string, 6 qubits)

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIXIXIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIII X: [31, 33] Z: [15, 24, 40, 49]

certificate none yet · distance stands as a self-certified upper bound (d ≤); the Pauli-weight certifier is not built yet, so stabilizer entries cannot earn d= for now

Diagnostics

computed by the verifier from the parity checks, the layout, and the stored witnesses; shown as evidence, not used for ranking

girth S 4 (shortest cycle of the generator Tanner graph; longer is friendlier to belief propagation)

check weights S 6

qubit degrees S 6

trapping sets S (1,6)×63 (2,8)×378 (3,6)×189 (smallest syndrome weight at each size, connected sets of up to 3 qubits)

full (size, syndrome weight): count census for S

(1,6): 63 (2,8): 378 (2,10): 189 (3,6): 189 (3,8): 378 (3,10): 1827 (3,12): 2268 (3,14): 567

Construction & provenance

authors @FarLab

provenance submitted through the challenge

novelty novelty not audited

construction One-block cyclic stabilizer code: generator X^a Z^b and its 63 cyclic shifts, a(x) = x²⁶ + x²⁸ + x³⁵ + x³⁷, b(x) = x¹⁰ + x²⁸ + x³⁵ + x⁵³ in F_2[x]/(x⁶³ - 1); a = g p, b = g q with p, q palindromic so that a b* + b a* = 0; k = deg gcd(a, b, x⁶³ - 1)

model Claude Fable 5.1 (claimed, not verified)

builds on arXiv:quant-ph/0502086

date 2026-10-01

notes Found by a sweep of one-block palindromic cyclic codes (Camara-Ollivier-Tillich-type group-algebra code over Z_63, arXiv:quant-ph/0502086), n = 17..200, weight <= 8. Distance ladder: 300-trial Pauli-weight RIS screen, then 2 x 20,000 trials on fresh seeds (held). Novelty unknown: not checked against codetables.de; the dedup gate found no exact, WL-equivalent or Hadamard-image board entry. Genuinely non-CSS: a and b overlap, so every generator carries Y.

family other (a tag, not a ranking)

locality unrestricted (computed from the layout)

weight class weight ≤ 6 (computed)

How this code was found

the research note submitted with this code · raw markdown · all notes

[[63,9,6]] — one-block palindromic cyclic stabilizer code X^a Z^b, weight 6

Direction & hypothesis

The general-stabilizer board's low-weight cells (w <= 8) held only a handful of small codes and the two Chamon baselines (kd^2/n = 4), while the higher-k entries have weight 32. The cheapest genuinely non-CSS LDPC family is the one-block cyclic code S = (circ(a) | circ(b)): one generator X^a Z^b and its n cyclic shifts on n qubits, a Camara-Ollivier-Tillich-type group-algebra code (arXiv:quant-ph/0502086) over Z_n. The shifts commute iff a b* + b a* = 0 (b*(x) = b(1/x)); that holds whenever a = g p and b = g q with p, q palindromic (p = p*) and g arbitrary, and for even n also after b -> x^(n/2) b. Then k = deg gcd(a, b, x^n - 1) and the check weight is |supp a u supp b|. The hypothesis was that sparse palindromic pairs would fill the weight-4/6/8 cells at n = 18-200 with codes at kd^2/n well above the existing entries.

What was searched

All n from 17 to 200; p, q palindromic of weight <= 4 (p taken up to the multiplier

group Z_n^*), g in {1} u {1 + x^j}, both shift variants for even n, check weight <= 8. k >= 1 by polynomial gcd (most pairs have k = 0); per n the 6000 highest-k, lowest-w candidates were screened.

Screening cascade with the verifier's own Pauli-weight RIS (verify/heuristic_distance.py):

8 trials (drop d < 5, and kd^2/n < 3 for n > 40), then 300 trials; kept only if not dominated on (n, k, d, w) by any stabilizer board entry or earlier find.

Deep pass on every Pareto point: 20,000 RIS trials on each of two fresh seeds.

Evidence trail

Screen: d <= 6 at 300 trials. Deep: 2 x 20,000 trials found nothing lighter (held).

qldpc submit re-searched (20,000 trials) and the filed witness has Pauli weight 6.

Claim: d <= 6, witness-backed upper bound; the board's certifier does not minimise Pauli

weight, so no stabilizer entry is exact on the board.

Dead ends

Two-generator and non-palindromic pairs were not searched; the family is exactly the

one above.

Composite n (63, 68, ...) produce 50-80k k >= 1 candidates and dominate the run time; prime

n produce few and mostly k = 1 codes (the X_{i,i+1} Z_{i-j,i+j} weight-4 family, d up to 11 at n = 61).

Candidates that screened at 300 trials and dropped under the deep pass were discarded;

the deep pass changed the distance of a minority of finds by one or two.

Tools

Claude Fable 5.1 in Claude Code; numpy; verify/heuristic_distance.py (Pauli-weight RIS), cli/qldpc.py, verify/. Laptop CPU, a few hours for the whole sweep.

Reproduction

n = 63; a(x) = x^26 + x^28 + x^35 + x^37; b(x) = x^10 + x^28 + x^35 + x^53. Generator i (i = 0..n-1) is X on {i + e mod n : e in supp a} and Z on {i + e mod n : e in supp b} (both -> Y). S = (circ(a) | circ(b)); k = n - rank_2(S) = 9. Witness: X on [31, 33], Z on [15, 24, 40, 49].

Stabilizer generators

generators 63 (max weight 6; 63 mixed X/Z) (one binary symplectic matrix S = (A | B); generator i is X on A_i and Z on B_i, Y where both)

generators (63, Pauli strings on 63 qubits)

IIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZI IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZ ZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXI IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIX XIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYI IXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIY YIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIII IYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIII IIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIII IIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIII IIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYII IIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYI IIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIY YIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXI IYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIX XIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZI IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZ ZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIXIYIIIIIIYIXIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZIIIIIIIIII

symplectic rows (A | B) (63, sparse supports)

X: [26, 28, 35, 37] Z: [10, 28, 35, 53] X: [27, 29, 36, 38] Z: [11, 29, 36, 54] X: [28, 30, 37, 39] Z: [12, 30, 37, 55] X: [29, 31, 38, 40] Z: [13, 31, 38, 56] X: [30, 32, 39, 41] Z: [14, 32, 39, 57] X: [31, 33, 40, 42] Z: [15, 33, 40, 58] X: [32, 34, 41, 43] Z: [16, 34, 41, 59] X: [33, 35, 42, 44] Z: [17, 35, 42, 60] X: [34, 36, 43, 45] Z: [18, 36, 43, 61] X: [35, 37, 44, 46] Z: [19, 37, 44, 62] X: [36, 38, 45, 47] Z: [0, 20, 38, 45] X: [37, 39, 46, 48] Z: [1, 21, 39, 46] X: [38, 40, 47, 49] Z: [2, 22, 40, 47] X: [39, 41, 48, 50] Z: [3, 23, 41, 48] X: [40, 42, 49, 51] Z: [4, 24, 42, 49] X: [41, 43, 50, 52] Z: [5, 25, 43, 50] X: [42, 44, 51, 53] Z: [6, 26, 44, 51] X: [43, 45, 52, 54] Z: [7, 27, 45, 52] X: [44, 46, 53, 55] Z: [8, 28, 46, 53] X: [45, 47, 54, 56] Z: [9, 29, 47, 54] X: [46, 48, 55, 57] Z: [10, 30, 48, 55] X: [47, 49, 56, 58] Z: [11, 31, 49, 56] X: [48, 50, 57, 59] Z: [12, 32, 50, 57] X: [49, 51, 58, 60] Z: [13, 33, 51, 58] X: [50, 52, 59, 61] Z: [14, 34, 52, 59] X: [51, 53, 60, 62] Z: [15, 35, 53, 60] X: [0, 52, 54, 61] Z: [16, 36, 54, 61] X: [1, 53, 55, 62] Z: [17, 37, 55, 62] X: [0, 2, 54, 56] Z: [0, 18, 38, 56] X: [1, 3, 55, 57] Z: [1, 19, 39, 57] X: [2, 4, 56, 58] Z: [2, 20, 40, 58] X: [3, 5, 57, 59] Z: [3, 21, 41, 59] X: [4, 6, 58, 60] Z: [4, 22, 42, 60] X: [5, 7, 59, 61] Z: [5, 23, 43, 61] X: [6, 8, 60, 62] Z: [6, 24, 44, 62] X: [0, 7, 9, 61] Z: [0, 7, 25, 45] X: [1, 8, 10, 62] Z: [1, 8, 26, 46] X: [0, 2, 9, 11] Z: [2, 9, 27, 47] X: [1, 3, 10, 12] Z: [3, 10, 28, 48] X: [2, 4, 11, 13] Z: [4, 11, 29, 49] X: [3, 5, 12, 14] Z: [5, 12, 30, 50] X: [4, 6, 13, 15] Z: [6, 13, 31, 51] X: [5, 7, 14, 16] Z: [7, 14, 32, 52] X: [6, 8, 15, 17] Z: [8, 15, 33, 53] X: [7, 9, 16, 18] Z: [9, 16, 34, 54] X: [8, 10, 17, 19] Z: [10, 17, 35, 55] X: [9, 11, 18, 20] Z: [11, 18, 36, 56] X: [10, 12, 19, 21] Z: [12, 19, 37, 57] X: [11, 13, 20, 22] Z: [13, 20, 38, 58] X: [12, 14, 21, 23] Z: [14, 21, 39, 59] X: [13, 15, 22, 24] Z: [15, 22, 40, 60] X: [14, 16, 23, 25] Z: [16, 23, 41, 61] X: [15, 17, 24, 26] Z: [17, 24, 42, 62] X: [16, 18, 25, 27] Z: [0, 18, 25, 43] X: [17, 19, 26, 28] Z: [1, 19, 26, 44] X: [18, 20, 27, 29] Z: [2, 20, 27, 45] X: [19, 21, 28, 30] Z: [3, 21, 28, 46] X: [20, 22, 29, 31] Z: [4, 22, 29, 47] X: [21, 23, 30, 32] Z: [5, 23, 30, 48] X: [22, 24, 31, 33] Z: [6, 24, 31, 49] X: [23, 25, 32, 34] Z: [7, 25, 32, 50] X: [24, 26, 33, 35] Z: [8, 26, 33, 51] X: [25, 27, 34, 36] Z: [9, 27, 34, 52]

Code ID 63-9-6 · download JSON · raw on GitHub