On gaps in Rényi \(\beta\)-expansions of unity for \(\beta>1\) an algebraic number (Q2372786)

Let \(\beta > 1\) be an algebraic number, and let \(d_\beta (1) = 0.t_1 t_2 t_3 \dots\) be the \(\beta\)-expansion of unity, namely, \(1 =\sum^{\infty}_{ i=1} t_i\beta^{ -i}\), where \(t_1 = [\beta], t_2 = [\beta\{\beta\}], t_3 = [\beta\{\beta\{\beta\}\}], \dots\) Suppose that the \(\beta\)-expansion \(d_\beta (1)\) is infinite and contains zeros between any two nonzero digits, namely, there exist two sequences of integers \(m_1 < m_2 < m_3 < \dots\) and \(s_0 = 1 < s_1 < s_2 < \dots\) such that \(s_n m_{n+1} < s_{n+1}\) for each \(n \geq 0\), where \(s_n - m_n\geq 2\), and \(t_{{m}_{n}}, t_{{s}_{n}}\neq 0\), but \(t_i = 0\) for every \(i\) in the range \(m_n < i < s_n\). The author proves, firstly, that \[ \lim \sup_{n \rightarrow \infty} \frac {s_{n}} {m_{n}}\leq \frac {\log M (\beta)}{\log \beta} \] and, secondly, that if \(\lim \inf_{ n\rightarrow \infty} (m_{n+1} - m_n ) =\infty\) then \[ \lim \sup_{n \rightarrow \infty}\frac{s_{n+1} -s_{n}}{m_{n +1} - m_{n}} \leq \frac {\log M (\beta)}{\log \beta}. \] Here, \(M (\beta)\) is the Mahler measure of the algebraic number \(\beta\). The proof uses techniques from diophantine analysis. As an application of his interesting theorem, the author observes that if \(\beta > 1\) is a Salem number such that the \(\beta\)-expansion of unity is infinite then, with the above notation, \(\lim_{n\rightarrow \infty} s_n /m_n = 1\), so that \(d_{\beta} (1)\) must have ``many'' nonzero digits.