Quadratic Lagrange spectrum (Q303790)

Let \(\alpha_0\) be a real quadratic irrational number and \({\mathcal{E}}_{\alpha_0}\) the set of quadratic numbers, the regular continued fraction expansion of which is ultimately periodic with the same period as \(\alpha_0\) or its Galois conjugate \(\alpha_0^\sigma\). Following [\textit{J. Parkkonen} and \textit{F. Paulin}, Math. Z. 268, No. 1--2, 101--142 (2011; Zbl 1228.53055); erratum ibid. 276, 3--4, 1215--1216 (2014)] and [\textit{Y. Bugeaud}, Math. Z. 276, No. 3--4, 985--999 (2014; Zbl 1358.11077)], for \(\xi\in{\mathbb{R}}\setminus ({\mathbb{Q}}\cup {\mathcal{E}}_{\alpha_0})\), define \[ c_{\alpha_0}(\xi)=\liminf_{\underset{\alpha\in\mathcal E_{\alpha_0}}{|\alpha-\alpha^\sigma|\rightarrow 0}} 2\frac{|\xi-\alpha|}{ |\alpha-\alpha^\sigma|}\cdot p. \] The quadratic Lagrange spectrum of \(\alpha_0\) is the set \({\mathrm{Sp}}_{\alpha_0}\) of \(c_{\alpha_0}(\xi)\) for \(\xi\in{\mathbb{R}}\setminus ({\mathbb{Q}}\cup {\mathcal{E}}_{\alpha_0})\). Answering a question from Y.~Bugeaud, the author proves that for any real quadratic irrational number \(\alpha_0\), the maximum \(K_{\alpha_0}\) of \({\mathrm{Sp}}_{\alpha_0}\) is at most \( (3/\sqrt{5})-1\). He also shows that \((3/\sqrt{5})-1\) is in the second derived set of the set of \(K_{\alpha_0}\) for \(\alpha_0\) a real quadratic irrationality.