  We construct a new family of quantum MDS codes from classical generalized
Reed-Solomon codes and derive the necessary and sufficient condition under
which these quantum codes exist. We also give code bounds and show how to
construct them analytically. We find that existing quantum MDS codes can be
unified under these codes in the sense that when a quantum MDS code exists,
then a quantum code of this type with the same parameters also exists. Thus as
far as is known at present, they are the most important family of quantum MDS
codes.
