Bounds for Single-Error-Correcting Analog Codes

We study single-error correction for analog codes over $\mathbb{R}$. A key performance measure is the parameter $\Gamma_2(\mathcal{C})$, which quantifies the minimum separation required between large outlying errors that need to be located/corrected and bounded tolerable perturbations. We prove that every real linear $[n,n-2]$ code $\mathcal{C}$ satisfies \[ \Gamma_2(\mathcal{C})\ge \frac{1}{\sin^2(\pi/2n)}. \] This resolves Roth's open problem on the optimality of redundancy-two single-error-correcting analog codes. Our proof combines a zonotope-based geometric characterization of $\Gamma_2(\mathcal{C})$ with a cyclic sine-product inequality. We also construct analog codes with higher fixed redundancy and show that, for every fixed $r\ge 2$, there exists a class of real linear $[n,n-r]$ codes such that \[ \Gamma_2(\mathcal{C})\le O\left(n^{1+\frac{1}{r-1}}\right). \]