Gaps in \(\sqrt{n}\bmod 1\) and ergodic theory (Q1885555)

This paper studies the distribution of gaps in the sequence of fractional parts of square roots of nonnegative integers. More precisely, let \({\mathcal J} (N)\) denote the set of intervals \(J_1,\cdots,J_N\) obtained when cutting the unit circle \({\mathbb R}/{\mathbb Z}\) at the points \(\sqrt 1,\sqrt 2,\cdots, \sqrt N\) modulo 1. For any interval \([a,b] \subset [0, \infty)\), the lengths \(| J_i| /N\) are proved to satisfy \[ \frac{\text{Card} \{J \in {\mathcal J}(n); \;| J| \in [a/N,b/N]\}}{N} \to \int_a ^b F(t) \,dt, \] as \(N\) tends to infinity, where \(F(t)\) is an explicit continuous function, which is piecewise real-analytic, but which admits two phase transitions at the points \(1/2\) and \(2\), where \(F\) is not even \({\mathcal C} ^3\). This behaviour thus illustrates the nonrandomness of the points \(\sqrt N\) modulo 1; indeed the distribution would be exponential otherwise, which seems according to numerical experimentation to be the behaviour of the distribution of \(N ^{\alpha}\) for \(\alpha \neq 1/2\). The scheme of the proof is detailed in an illuminating way in the introduction of this elegantly written paper. The proof is ergodic and based on the uniform distribution of unimodular lattice translates on the homogeneous space ASL\(_2 ({\mathbb R}) / \text{ASL}_2 ({\mathbb Z})\); the proof of this latter result is mainly deduced from [\textit{M. Ratner}, Ann. Math. (2) 134, 545--607 (1991; Zbl 0763.28012)]. The probability \(p(t)\) that a random unimodular lattice \(\Lambda \subset {\mathbb R} ^2\) meets a given triangle of area \(t\) is then proved to satisfy \(p''(t)=-F(t)\).