Crystallographic reptiles (Q1336248)

Let \(\mathbb{R}^ n\) be the Euclidean \(n\)-space and let \(\text{Isom}(\mathbb{R}^ n)\) be the group of its isometries. A crystallographic group is a discrete co-compact subgroup \(T\subset\text{Isom}(\mathbb{R}^ n)\). A tiling of a set \(X\subseteq\mathbb{R}^ n\) is a family \(\{A_ i\}\) of compact, regular-closed subsets of \(X\) which cover \(X\), and \(\text{int}(A_ i)\cap\text{int}(A_ j)=\varnothing\) for \(i\neq j\). A tiling is locally finite if each bounded set intersects only finitely many of the \(A_ i\). Here the tilings with several kinds of symmetry are considered. Recently Gröchenig and Haas, Kenyon, and Bandt and the author have investigated the so-called self-affine lattice tilings. These are tilings with the following two properties. The tilings are given as families \(\{x+ A: x\in \Lambda\}\), where \(A\) is a set, and \(\Lambda\) is a lattice (a subgroup of \(\mathbb{R}^ n\) isomorphic to \(\mathbb{Z}^ n\)). The tilings are self-affine, if there is an expanding affine map \(g: \mathbb{R}^ n\to\mathbb{R}^ n\) which carries each tile onto the union of some tiles. Self-affine lattice tilings are of special interest because of their relation to several topics of recent research, namely generalized number systems, Markov partitions and wavelet theory. The lattice tilings can be generalized as \(\{\gamma(A): \gamma\in \Gamma\}\), where \(\Gamma\) is some group acting as \(\mathbb{R}^ n\). If \(\Gamma\) consists of isometries we have tilings made of congruent tiles. Because of the local finiteness of the tiling, \(\Gamma\) must be discrete. The tiles are compact sets, so \(\Gamma\) is co-compact. Hence \(\Gamma\) must be a crystallographic group. The tiling \(\{\gamma(A): \gamma\in \Gamma\}\) be called a crystallographic tiling or isohedral tiling. If a crystallographic tiling is self-affine the set \(A\) be called a crystallographic reptile. Usually, a \(k\)-reptile is a compact set \(X\subseteq \mathbb{R}^ n\), with non-empty interior which can be tiled by congruent sets \(A_ 1,A_ 2,\dots,A_ k\) similar to \(X\). The \(k\)- reptiles were extensively studied by Croft, Falconer and Guy, by Dekking and by Grünbaum and Shephard. Instead of self-similarity, an affine contraction from \(X\) onto \(A_ 1\) can be used. Thus each \(A_ i\) is an affine copy of \(X\). If \(\{\gamma(A): \gamma\in\Gamma\}\) is a self-affine crystallographic tiling with expansion \(g\), then \(g(A)= \gamma(A_ 1)\cup\cdots\cup \gamma(A_ k)\) for some elements \(\gamma_ i\in \Gamma\), and \(A= \bigcup_ i g^{-1}\gamma_ i(A)\), so \(A\) is in fact a \(k\)-reptile. Defining the crystallographic reptiles by using some general facts, the author deals with the question of which expansions are admissible. Generalizing Theorem 3.4 of Gröchenig and Haas, the author proves that if \(g\) is expansive, \(g \Gamma g^{-1}\subset\Gamma\) for some crystallographic group \(\Gamma\) and \(\gamma_ 1,\dots,\gamma_ k\) a complete set of right coset representatives of \(\Gamma/g \Gamma g^{- 1}\), the invariant set of the iterated function system with contractions \(g^{-1}\gamma_ i\) tiles \(\mathbb{R}^ n\). Even though Bandt had already proved that the invariant set has non-empty interior, crystallographic groups are not used there. So the assumptions of the theorem seem to be more complicated than they are, and it is hard to recognize the algebraic background. The author has worked only in the plane. It has been taken that the set \(A\) is homeomorphic to the closed unit ball. Then \(A\) is said to be disk- like or shortly \(A\) is a disk. The group graph associated with a disk- like isohedral tiling has been defined. Further it has been proved that for arbitrary fixed \(k\geq 2\), there is a finite number (upto affine isomorphy) of plane disk-like crystallographic reptiles with \(k\) pieces.