Derived sequences of Arnoux-Rauzy sequences (Q2333045)

The author considers sequences over a finite alphabet. Suppose two consecutive (possibly overlapping) occurrences of a block \(x\) begin at positions \(i\) and \(j\) (\(i \leq j\)) of an infinite word \(w\); then \(w_i \cdots w_{j-1}\) is called a return word for \(x\). If \(w\) is uniformly recurrent (i.e., each block that occurs, occurs infinitely often, and with bounded gaps between consecutive occurrences) then each block has only a finite number of return words, say \(\{ r_1, r_2, \ldots , r_t \}\). If \(x\) is a prefix of \(w\), then \(w\) can be written uniquely as an infinite concatenation of the \(r_i\), say \(w = r_{i_1} r_{i_2} \cdots\). The derived sequence is then the infinite word given by the sequence of subscripts \(i_1 i_2 \cdots\). Using intricate combinatorial arguments, the author characterizes the return words for a large and interesting class known as the Arnoux-Rauzy sequences. For the entire collection see [Zbl 1419.68014].