Discrete spectra and Pisot numbers (Q1930102)

Given a real number \(q>1\) and an integer \(m \geq 1\), let \(X^m(q)\) be the set of expressions \(\sum_{i=0}^n s_i q^i\), where \(s_i \in \{0,1,\dots,m\}\) and \(n=0,1,2,\dots\). Arranging points of \(X^m(q)\) into an increasing sequence \(0=x_0^m(q)<x_1^m(q)<x_2^m(q)<\dots\), we set \[ \ell^m(q)=\liminf_{n} (x_{n+1}^m(q)-x_n^m(q)), \quad L^m(q)=\limsup_{n} (x_{n+1}^m(q)-x_n^m(q)). \] Among other results the authors show that \(\ell^{2m}(q)=L^{3m}(q)=0\) for all \(m>q-1\) when \(q>1\) is not a Pisot number. Furthermore, if \(q\) is not a Pisot number then \(L^1(q)=0\) if \(1<q \leq 2^{1/3}\); \(\ell^1(q)=L^2(q)=0\) if \(1<q \leq \sqrt{2}\); \(\ell^2(q)=L^3(q)=0\) if \(1<q<2\). Finally, they show that if \(1<q \leq \sqrt{2}\) is not a Pisot number then the set of real numbers of the form \(\sum_{i=0}^n a_i q^i\), where \(a_0,\dots,a_n \in \{-1,1\}\) and \(n=0,1,2,\dots\), is dense in \({\mathbb R}\).