The critical exponent functions (Q2131735)

This paper explores analytical and dynamical aspects of ``critical exponent functions''. A word \(w\) is a \(p/q\)-power if there exists a word \(u\) and a prefix \(v\) of \(u\) such that \(|w|=p\), \(|u|=q\) and \(w = u^kv\) for some \(k > 0\). The critical exponent of an infinite word \(w\) is then the supremum of the set of values \(\alpha\) for which \(w\) contains an \(\alpha\)-power as a factor. For base \(n \geq 2\), the \(n\)-critical exponent function \(\kappa_n \colon [0,1] \to [0,1]\) takes as input a real number \(x\) and outputs the reciprocal of the critical exponent of the non-terminating \(n\)-ary representation of \(x\). The authors consider the analytical properties of the functions \(\kappa_n\), showing that they are upper semi-continuous, of Baire class \(1\), and are left- or right-Darboux at every point in \([0,1]\). It is still unknown if \(\kappa_n\) is fully Darboux. It is shown that the continuity points of \(\kappa_n\) are exactly those points \(x \in [0,1]\) for which \(\kappa_n(x) = 0\). Various topological and metric properties of this set of points are described, with some properties such as the Hausdorff dimension of its complement being left as open questions. The dynamical properties of \(\kappa_n\) are also explored. Namely, it is shown that \(\kappa_n\) admits infinitely many fixed points in \([0,1]\) (it is still unknown if there are uncountably many fixed points) and, by considering horseshoes, the topological entropy of \(\kappa_n\) is proved to be infinite. Topological mixing, transitive points and Li-Yorke pairs are also studied, but just for \(\kappa_2\). Much like the normality of a number is base-dependant, and so one can consider those numbers that are normal in every base, so here do the authors consider the critical exponent function \(\kappa\), which is given as the infimum of \(\kappa_n\) over all \(n \geq 2\). It is shown that \(\kappa\) is of Baire class \(2\), is nowhere continuous and has a co-meagre nullset whose complement is uncountable. It is unknown if \(\kappa(x)=1\) for some \(x \in [0,1]\). Perhaps the most important result in the paper is a generalisation of a result of \textit{J. D. Currie} and \textit{N. Rampersad} [Electron. J. Comb. 15, No. 1, Research Paper N34, 5 p. (2008; Zbl 1183.68439)]. Here, the authors show that any finite word \(w\) with critical exponent \(r \geq 2\) can be extended to an infinite word \(x = wy\) so that the critical exponent of \(x\) takes any value greater then \(r\). This result is used repeatedly in the rest of the paper and is likely to have further uses.