Non-spectrality of Moran measures with four digits (Q2116397)

The authors study spectral measures \(\mu\), compactly supported Borel probability measures on \(\mathbb{R}^n\) for which there exists a countable set \(\Lambda\) satisfying \[E_{\Lambda}:=\{e^{2\pi i\langle \lambda,x\rangle}: \lambda\in\Lambda\} \text{ is an orthonormal basis for }L^2(\mu).\] In this case \(\Lambda\) is called a spectrum of \(\mu\) and \((\mu,\Lambda)\) is called a spectral pair. The attention is focused on Moran measures \(\mu_{\{M_k\},\{D_k\}}\) with compact support, generated by a Moran iterated function system, cf. [\textit{J. E. Hutchinson}, Indiana Univ. Math. J. 30, 713--747 (1981; Zbl 0598.28011)]: a family of contraction functions \(\{\phi_{k,D_k}(x)=M_k^{-1}(x+d): d\in D_k\}_{k=1}^{\infty}\), where \(\{M_k\}_{k=1}^{\infty}\subset M_n(\mathbb{R})\) is a sequence of expanding matrices (all eigenvalues have modulus strictly greater than one and \(\{D_k\}_{k=1}^{\infty}\) is a sequence of finite digit sets of \(\mathbb{R}^n\)). Assuming that \(T=\sum_{k=1}^{\infty}\,M_1^{-1}M_2^{-1}\cdots M_k^{-1}D_k\) is a compact subset of \(\mathbb{R}^n\), the sequence of measures \[\mu_k=\delta_{M_1^{-1}D_1}\ast\delta_{M_1^{-1}M_2^{-1}D_2}\ast\cdots\ast\delta_{M_1^{-1}M_2^{-1}\cdots M_k^{-1}D_k}\] tends to a Borel probability measure with compact support \(T\), denoted by \(\mu_{\{M_k\},\{D_k\}}\). The main results, given in the Introduction, are: Theorem 1.3: Let the limit Moran measure be given as above. Then \(L_2(\mu_{\{M_k\},\{D_k\}})\) contains an infinite orthogonal set of exponential functions if and only if \(\mathrm{det}(M_k)\in 2\mathbb{Z}\) for infinitely many \(k\). Theorem 1.4: Let the limit Moran measure be given as above. If \(\mathrm{det}(M_k)\in 2\mathbb{Z}+1\) for any \(k\geq 1\), then there exist at most \(4\) mutually orthogonal functions in \(L_2(\mu_{\{M_k\},\{D_k\}})\), and the number \(4\) is the best.