Uniform distribution of generalized Kakutani's sequences of partitions (Q361917)

Let \(\rho\) and \(\pi\) be finite interval partitions of \([0,1]\). The \(\rho\)-refinement of \(\pi\), denoted by \(\rho\pi\) is given by subdividing all maximal length intervals of \(\pi\) according to \(\rho\) (i.e., homothetically to \(\rho\)). A classical result of Kakutatni [A problem of equidistibution in the unit interval \([0,1]\), in [\textit{S. Kakutani}, in: Measure Theory, Proc. Conf. Oberwolfach 1975, Lect. Notes Math. 541, 369--375 (1976; Zbl 0363.60023)] says the sequence \(\rho^n [0,1]\) of interval partitions of \([0,1]\) is uniformly distributed as \(n\to \infty\) for any given interval partition \(\rho\neq [0,1]\). However, the example \(\pi = \{ [0, 2/5), [2/5,1]\}\) and \(\rho = \{ [0,1/2), [1/2,1]\}\) shows that \(\rho^n\pi\) need not be uniformly distributed as \(n\to\infty\). The purpose of this paper is to provide a complete characterization of finite interval partitions \(\rho\) and \(\pi\) (of \([0,1]\)) such that \(\rho^n \pi\) is uniformly distributed as \(n\to\infty\). Suppose that \(p_1,\ldots,p_m\) (with \(m\geq 2\)) are the interval lengths of \(\rho\) and \(\alpha_1,\ldots,\alpha_\ell\) (with \(\ell \geq 2\)) the interval lengths of \(\pi\). Then \(\rho^n \pi\) is uniformly distributed in \([0,1]\) as \(n\to\infty\) if and only if either one of the ratios \((\log p_i)/(\log p_j)\), \(i\neq j\), is irrational or if \(-\log p_i = \nu_i \Lambda\), \(1\leq i\leq m\), for coprime integers \(\nu_i\) and a proper positive real number \(\Lambda\) and \(-\log \alpha_i = u_i \Lambda + c\), \(1\leq i \leq \ell\), for integers \(u_i\) and a real constant \(c\). The proof relies on a relation between the Kakutani splitting procedure and a corresponding tree evolution process that is analyzed in [\textit{M. Drmota} and \textit{M. Infusino}, On the discrepancy of some generalized Kakutani's sequences of partitions', Unif. Distrib. Theory 7, 75--104 (2012)].