Generalized Hamming weights of nonlinear codes and the relation to the Z/sub 4/-linear representation

We give a new definition of generalized Hamming weights of nonlinear codes and a new interpretation connected with it. These generalized weights are determined by the entropy/length profile of the code. We show that this definition characterizes the performance of nonlinear codes on the wire-tap channel of type II. The new definition is invariant under translates of the code, it satisfies the property of strict monotonicity and the generalized Singleton bound. We check the relations between the generalized weight hierarchies of Z/sub 4/-linear codes and their binary image under the Gray map. We also show that the binary image of a Z/sub 4/-linear code is a symmetric, not necessarily rectangular code. Moreover, if this binary image is a linear code then it admits a twisted squaring construction.