Combined modulation and error correction codes for storage channels

Multitrack codes that have recently been proposed for the magnetic storage channel promise larger capacities than conventional run-length limited (RLL) single-track codes. This paper proposes an approach that combines modulation and error-correcting capabilities with resilience to intertrack interference (ITI) in the magnetic storage channel with constraints on the minimum run-length for each track, in conjunction with the minimum run-length constraint between tracks and the maximum run-length constraint satisfied by at least one track. Comparison is made with previously proposed approaches.