In coding theory we wish to find as many codewords as possible, while simultaneously maintaining high distance between codewords to ease the detection and correction of errors. For linear codes, this translates to finding high-dimensional subspaces of a given metric space, where the induced distance between vectors stays above a specified minimum. In this work I describe the recent advances of this problem in the contexts of lexicodes and Ferrers diagram rank-metric codes. In the first chapter, we study lexicodes. For a ring R, we describe a lexicographic ordering of the left R-module Rn. With this ordering we set up a greedy algorithm which sequentially selects vectors for which all linear combinations satisfy a given property. The resulting output is called a lexicode. This process was discussed earlier in the literature for fields and chain rings. We describe a generalization of the algorithm to finite principal ideal rings. In the second chapter, we investigate Ferrers diagram rank-metric codes, which play a role in the construction of subspace codes. A well-known upper bound for dimension of these codes is conjectured to be sharp. We describe several solved cases of the conjecture, and further contribute new ones. In addition, probabilities for maximal Ferrers diagram codes and MRD codes are investigated in a new light. It is shown that for growing field size, the limiting probability depends highly on the Ferrers diagram.

Cette thèse se divise en deux grandes parties, la première traite la combinatoire associée à l’ordre normal des opérateurs non-commutatifs et la seconde aborde des distributions symétriques du nombre de croisements et du nombre d’emboîtements, respectivement k-croisements et k-emboîtements, dans des structures combinatoires (partitions, permutations, permutations colorées, …). La première partie étudie l’ordre normal des opérateurs en termes de placements de tours. Nous étudions la forme de l’ordre normal en connectant deux opérateurs non-commutatifs D et U, et des polynômes orthogonaux spéciaux, et établissons des bijonctions entre les coefficients de (D+U)n et le nombre de placements de tours sur un diagramme de Ferrers. Nous donnons également des preuves combinatoires à des conjectures quantiques posées par des physiciens. Dans la seconde partie, nous définissons des statistiques, comme emboîtements et k-emboîtements, sur l’ensemble des permutations du groupe de Coxeter de type B. Nous donnons également des extensions au type B des résultats sur les croisements et les emboîtements, respectivement k-croisements et k-emboîtements dans les permutations de type A, en termes de distributions symétriques. De plus, nous étudions le lien entre les opérateurs non-commutatifs et ces statistiques. D’autres extensions de la distribution de ces statistiques sur les ensembles de partitions colorées et de permutations colorées de types A et B sont ainsi établies / This thesis is divided into two parts, the first deals with the combinatorics associated to the normal ordering form of noncommutative operators and the second addresses the symmetric distributions of the crossing numbers and nesting numbers, respectively k-crossings and k-nestings, in combinatorial structures (partitions, permutations, colored permutations, …). The first part studies the normal order of operators in terms of rook placements. We study the normal ordering form connecting two noncommutative operators D and U, and some special orthogonal polynomials, and establish bijonctions between coefficients of (D+U)n and rook placements in Ferrers diagrams. We also give combinatorial proofs and alternatives to some quantum conjectures posed by physicists. In the second part, we define the notions of statistics, nestings and k-nestings, on the sets of permutations of the Coxeter group of type B. We also give extensions to type B of the results of the crossings and nestings, respectivelu k-crossings and K-nestings in the set of permutations of type A, in terms of symmetric distributions. Likewise, we study the link between non-commutative operators and these statistics. Other extensions of the distribution of these statistics on the sets of colored partitions and colored permutations of type A and B are established