Rank modulation for translocation error correction

We consider rank modulation codes for flash memories that allow for handling arbitrary charge drop errors. Unlike classical rank modulation codes used for correcting errors that manifest themselves as swaps of two adjacently ranked elements, the proposed translocation codes account for more general forms of errors that arise in storage systems. Translocations represent a natural extension of the notion of adjacent transpositions and as such may be analyzed using related concepts in combinatorics and rank modulation coding. Our results include deriving the asymptotic capacity of translocation rank codes, construction techniques for asymptotically good codes and a simple decoding algorithm.