On universal and periodic \(\beta\)-expansions, and the Hausdorff dimension of the set of all expansions (Q2439815)

The author is interested in the question which finite strings of ``digits'' \(\in \{1,\dots,m\}\) can appear as the initial segment (or prefix) of the \(\beta\)-expansion of a real number \(x\), for \(\beta \in (1,m+1]\). For \(i \in \{0,\dots,m\}\), let \(T_{\beta,i}\) denote the map \(x \mapsto \beta x - i\), and let \(\Omega_{\beta,m,n}\) denote the set \[ \Omega_{\beta,m,n} (x) = \left\{ (a_i)_{i=1}^{n}\in \{T_{\beta,0}, \dots,T_{\beta,m}\}^n:~\left(a_n ~ \circ \dots \circ a_1\right) (x) \in \left[0,\frac{m}{\beta-1}\right] \right\}. \] Then the question asking for the possible prefixes of \(x\) in the \(\beta\)-expansion is intimately connected with the set \[ S_{\beta,m}(x) = \bigcup_{n=0}^\infty \left\{a(x):~a \in \Omega_{\beta,m,n} \right\}. \] The author first proves several elementary results concerning this set. In the special case when \(\beta\) is a Pisot number, he shows that \(S_{\beta,m}(x)\) is finite if and only if \(x \in \mathbb{Q}(\beta)\), which leads to a generalization of a well-known theorem of \textit{K. Schmidt} [Bull. Lond. Math. Soc. 12, 269--278 (1980; Zbl 0494.10040)]. Other topological properties of the set \(S_{\beta,m}\) are studied, including denseness properties and Hausdorff dimensions.