A connection between different definitions of quasicrystallographic groups (Q1324932)

The author considers the concept of a quasicrystallographic group as it has been introduced by Novikov in 1986 and compares it with the quasicrystallographic characterization given by Mermin, Rokhsar and Wright [Phys. Rev. B 35, 5487-5495 (1987); see also Rev. Mod. Phys. 63, 699-733 (1991) and references therein]. A quasicrystallographic group \(G\) is a subgroup of the Euclidean group \(E_ k\) having as subgroup \(T\) of all translations a free Abelian group of rank \(n\), with \(n\) larger than the dimension \(k\) of the space generated by \(T\). In the case \(n = k\) one obtains a crystallographic space group. The point group \(R\) of \(G\), consisting of the rotational parts of the elements of \(G\), is a subgroup of the orthogonal group \(O(k)\) having an \(n\)-dimensional integral faithful representation which defines a corresponding subgroup of \(Gl(n, \mathbb{Z})\) isomorphic to the factor group \(G/T\). Therefore, \(G\) is a group extension of \(R\) by \(T\) and can be obtained from the second cohomology group \(H^ 2(R, T)\). In the same way as explained in a paper by \textit{M. Ascher} and \textit{A. Janner} for the space group case [Commun. Math. Phys. 11, 138-167 (1968; Zbl 0164.341)] considering \(G\) as a subgroup of \(E_ k\) leads to a first cohomology group, which in the description given by Mermin et al. in the Fourier representation space is \(H^ 1[R, \text{Hom} (T^*, S^ 1)]\). The short exact sequence \(\text{Hom} (T^*, \mathbb{Z}) \to \text{Hom} (T^*, \mathbb{R}) \to \text{Hom} (T^*, S^ 1)\), gives rise to a long exact sequence of cohomology groups with, in particular, a canonical epimorphism \(\delta\) relating the two cohomology groups: \(H^ 1 [R, \text{Hom} (T^*, S^ 1)] @>\delta >> H^ 2(R,T)\). When the point group \(R\) is finite, the mapping \(\delta\) is an isomorphism, but in the general quasicrystallographic case \(R\) is not necessarily finite. The author shows that, nevertheless, in the 2-dimensional case the mapping \(\delta\) is still an isomorphism. For higher dimensions, the existence of a point group \(R\) isomorphic to a free group \(F_ m\) with \(m\) generators implies that in this case the mapping \(\delta\) is no more an isomorphism. Accordingly, isomorphic quasicrystallographic groups can be inequivalent as groups of transformations of Euclidean space.