On the Assouad dimension of self-similar sets with overlaps (Q2253795)

The Assouad dimension is used in geometric analysis, in particular in connection with the theory of quasi-conformal mappings. Given a set \(F\), for any \(0<\rho<r\leq 1\) one considers \(N(\rho,r)\) which is the maximal number of balls of radius \(\rho\) which may be needed to cover \(F\) intersected with a ball of radius \(r\). The Assouad dimension is then the infimum of \(s\) for which \(N(\rho,r)\) is \(O\left( \frac{r}{\rho})^s \right)\). The theme of the paper is to estimate the Assouad dimension for limit sets of iterated function systems and compare it to the Hausdorff dimension. The key assumption about the generating IFS is the \textit{weak separation property} which postulates that the compositions of forward and backward branches cannot approach the identity, except for the trivial case when they cancel out. The most precise result is obtained for \(F\subset \mathbb{R}^1\) stating that if the weak separation property holds, then the Assouad dimension is equal to the Hausdorff dimension and otherwise the Assouad dimension is always \(1\). A similar result is then shown in Euclidean spaces of arbitrary dimension. The proofs use methods typical for the geometric analysis and measure theory.