Counting \(\beta \)-expansions and the absolute continuity of Bernoulli convolutions (Q359639)

In the present article the author investigates the number of different \(\beta\)-expansions for a given real number. Let \(\beta\in(1,2]\) and \(x\in I_\beta:=[0,\frac1{\beta-1}]\). A \(\beta\)-expansion of \(x\) is a sequence \((x_n)_{n\geq1}\in \{0,1\}^{\mathbb{N}}\) such that \[ x=\sum_{n=1}^\infty x_i\beta^{-i}. \] Now we define the set of beginnings of the \(\beta\)-expansions of a given \(x\). In particular, let \[ \mathcal{E}_\beta^n:=\left\{ (x_1,\ldots,x_n)\in\{0,1\}^n\mid \exists(x_{n+1},x_{n+2},\ldots): x=\sum_{k=1}^\infty x_k\beta^{-k}\right\} \] and define \(\mathcal{N}_n(x;\beta):=\left|\mathcal{E}_\beta^n(x)\right|\). The author investigates a renormalized version of \(\mathcal{N}_n(x;\beta)\) to obtain that for almost ever \(\beta\in(1,2)\) and for (Lebesgue) almost every \(x\in I_\beta\), \[ \limsup_{n\to\infty}\frac1n\log\left(\mathcal{N}_n(x;\beta)\right) =\log\left(\frac2\beta\right). \] Furthermore he shows that for almost every \(\beta\in(1,\sqrt2)\) and for (Lebesgue) almost every \(x\in I_\beta\), \[ \lim_{n\to\infty}\frac1n\log\left(\mathcal{N}_n(x;\beta)\right) =\log\left(\frac2\beta\right). \] On the one hand this extends results of \textit{A. Garsia} [Pac. J. Math. 13, 1159--1169 (1963; Zbl 0126.14901)], who showed that the \(\limsup\) is bounded. On the other hand this stays in strong contrast to the case of \(\beta\) being Pisot where \textit{D.-J. Feng} and \textit{N. Sidorov} [Monatsh. Math. 162, No. 1, 41--60 (2011; Zbl 1273.11018)] showed that \[ \lim_{n\to\infty}\frac1n\log\left(\mathcal{N}_n(x;\beta)\right) <\log\left(\frac2\beta\right). \]