On balanced sequences and their critical exponent (Q2098168)

As was proven by \textit{P. Hubert} [Theor. Comput. Sci. 242, No. 1--2, 91--108 (2000; Zbl 0944.68149)], every non-periodic balanced sequence over a finite alphabet can be constructed from a Sturmian word by colouring each of its symbols into several new ones following a constant-gap periodic sequence. The present paper is devoted to bispecial words in such balanced sequences and to computing the critical exponent of a balanced word in terms of the directive sequence of the initial Sturmian word and of the constant-gap sequences used. The method of this computation is used to consider several known rather complicated examples and to prove two cases of a conjecture by \textit{N. Rampersad} et al. [Theor. Comput. Sci. 777, 454--463 (2019; Zbl 1446.68132)].