One-dimensional packing: maximality implies rationality (Q2632662)

To a subset $S\subseteq \mathbb{ N}$ of the natural numbers one associates its generating function $S_q:=\sum _{s\in S} q^s$. Then $S$ is eventually periodic, if and only if $S_q$ is a rational function. Such sets are called rational. The generating function defines a partial ordering $\preceq $, the germ-ordering on the subseteq of $\mathbb{ N}$ by putting $S\preceq S^\prime$ if there is $\varepsilon >0 $ such that $S_q \leq S^\prime_q $ for all $q\in (1-\varepsilon , 1)$. A set $S$ is called a translation set for the packing body $B\subset \mathbb{ N}$ if the translates $s+B$ are pairwise disjoint for all $s\in S$. For a finite subset $D\subseteq \mathbb{ N}$ the set $S$ is called $D$-avoiding if $s-t \not\in D$ for all $s,t\in S$. $B$ translation sets are $D$-avoiding for $D=\{ x-y \mid x,y\in B\}$. The author shows that every germ-maximal $B$-translation set is rational and every germ-maximal $D$-avoiding set is rational. The author conjectures that germ-maximal $B$-translation sets and germ-maximal $D$-avoiding sets are unique (and hence rational). This is known for $D=\{1,\ \dots, k-1\}$ and proven in a more general form in Theorem 4.1. Related conjectures for disc packings are formulated in Section 6.