Beyond Sturmian sequences: coding linear trajectories in the regular octagon

Based on work done by Morse and Hedlund (1940) it was observed by Arnoux and Rauzy (1991) that the classical continued fraction algorithm provides a surprising link between arithmetic and diophantine properties of an irrational number $\alpha$, the rotation by $\alpha$ on the torus $\mathbb{T} = \mathbb{R}/\mathbb{Z}$, and combinatorial properties of the well known Sturmian sequences, a class of sequences on two letters with low subword complexity. It has been conjectured since the early 1990ies that this correspondence carries over to generalized continued fraction algorithms, rotations on higher dimensional tori, and so-called $S$-adic sequences generated by substitutions. The idea of working towards this generalization is known as Rauzy’s program. Although, starting with Rauzy (1982) a number of examples for such a generalization was devised, Cassaigne, Ferenczi, and Zamboni (2000) came up with a counterexample that showed the limitations of such a generalization. Nevertheless, recently Berthe, Steiner, and Thuswaldner (2016) made some further progress on Rauzy’s program and were able to set up a generalization of the above correspondences. They proved that the above conjecture is true under certain natural conditions. A prominent role in this generalization is played by tilings induced by generalizations of the classical Rauzy fractal introduced by Rauzy (1982). Another idea which is related to the above results goes back to Artin (1924), who observed that the classical continued fraction algorithm and its natural extension can be viewed as a Poincare section of the geodesic flow on the space $SL_2(\mathbb{Z}) \ SL_2(\mathbb{R})$. Arnoux and Fisher (2001) revisited Artin’s idea and showed that the above mentioned correspondence between continued fractions, rotations, and Sturmian sequences can be interpreted in a very nice way in terms of an extension of this geodesic flow which they called the scenery flow. Currently, Arnoux et al. are setting up elements of a generalization of this connection as well. It is the aim of my series of lectures to review the above results.

The obvious way to compute the continued fraction of a real number α > 1 is to compute a very accurate numerical approximation of α, and then to iterate the well-known truncate-and-invert step which computes the next partial quotient a = bαc and the next complete quotient α′ = 1/(α − a). This method is called the basic method. In the course of this process precision is lost, and one has to take precautions to stop before the partial quotients become incorrect. Lehmer [6] gives a safe stopping-criterion, and a trick to reduce the amount of multi-length arithmetic. Schonhage [12] describes an algorithm for computing the greatest common divisor of u and v and the related continued fraction expansion of u/v in O(n log n log log n) steps if both u and v do not exceed 2. A disadvantage of this approach is that if we wish to extend the list of partial quotients computed from an initial approximation of α, we have to compute a more accurate initial approximation of α, compute the new complete quotient using this new approximation and the partial quotients already computed from the old approximation, and then extend the list of partial quotients using that new complete quotient (we notice that Shiu in [13, p.1312] incorrectly states that all the previous calculations have to be repeated, but the partial quotients computed so far don’t have to be recomputed). Bombieri and Van der Poorten [1], and Shiu [13] have recently proposed a remedy for this problem. They give a formula for computing a rational approximation of the next complete convergent from the first n partial quotients. From that complete convergent about n new partial quotients can be computed. So each step gives an approximate doubling of the number of partial quotients. To start the method, a few partial quotients have to be computed with the basic or indirect method. In [1] this method is proposed for algebraic numbers (which are zeros of polynomials) of degree ≥ 3, whereas Shiu also applies it to more general numbers, namely to transcendental numbers that can be defined as the zero of a function for which the logarithmic derivative at a rational point can be computed with arbitrary precision. This includes numbers like π, log π, and log 2. For each of thirteen different numbers, Shiu computes 10000 partial quotients. Their frequency distributions are compared with the one which almost all numbers should obey, according to the Khintchine– Levy theory [3, 7]. No significant deviations from this theory are reported. Shiu calls his method the direct method. Curiously, Shiu does not refer to what we would call the polynomial method for algebraic numbers [2, 5, 11] of degree ≥ 3, which computes the partial quotients of α using only the coefficients of its defining polynomial. Moreover, Shiu gives neither implementational

Let q, fj, t2, be a sequence of elements of a field F. We give a 2 3 continued fraction algorithm for t^x + txx + t2x + .If our sequence satisfies a linear recurrence, then the continued fraction algorithm is finite and produces this recurrence.More generally the algorithm produces a nontrivial solution of the system s ',+/*/.0</<*-l, /=0 for every positive integer s. 1.Let t0, tx, t2, be a sequence of elements of a field F. Set T-\ttft./=0 Let d be a nonnegative integer.We say that T* is an approximation of T of degree d if there exist polynomials V and W such that T* = V/W, deg V < d, deg W < d, x\w, and x2d\WT -V.We shall give a continued fraction expansion for xT.This yields polynomials V-, W, and integers d-, 0 = dx < d2 < d3 < , such that (V, W) = 1 and V,/W-is an approximation of T of degree d.Suppose T* is any approximation of T of some degree d.Then T* = V/W for that value of i such that d < d<di+x.If the sequence of the t satisfies a linear recurrence of degree d, but not one of smaller degree, then there is an m such that dm = d and the linear recurrence is given by the polynomial Wm.In this case, WmT = Vm, the continued fraction expansion, terminates at i = m, and we can determine Wm from the first 2d of the t:, i.e., from those t such that 0 </ < 2d.Our algorithm is closely related to Zierler's version of Berlekamp's algorithm [1].2. We consider continued fraction expansions of the form a = A, +-l A, + 2 A3+-where A,, A2, A3, are elements from some field E. We can write

This thesis uses dynamical systems to study two types of objects: number expansions (Chapters 1 and 2) and translation surfaces (Chapter 3). Our first chapter builds a broad, unifying theory for a large class of continued fraction algorithms producing what we call contracted Farey expansions. These algorithms are based on three ideas: (i) contraction of generalised continued fractions, (ii) induced transformations, and (iii) the natural extension of the Farey tent map. Within this theory, we find several well-studied algorithms; a new subfamily of superoptimal continued fractions with arbitrarily good convergence and approximation properties; and a unifying framework to prove several old and new results in Diophantine approximation. Chapter 2 introduces a new, one-parameter family of functions called skewed symmetric golden maps. Using tools from ergodic theory, we study the relative frequencies of digits typically occurring in number expansions produced by these maps. The central tool for our analysis is a mysterious phenomenon of our functions called matching, which has been recently observed and exploited to understand several other families of functions generating number expansions. Our final chapter deals with translation surfaces, i.e., surfaces obtained by gluing pairs of parallel, equal-length, and oppositely oriented edges of planar polygons. The Veech group of a translation surface is the group of Jacobians of its orientation-preserving affine automorphisms. We develop a novel algorithm to construct translation surfaces with prescribed lattice Veech groups in given strata. Our ideas are also used to obtain obstructions for the realisability of certain Veech groups in certain strata. In particular, we show that the square torus is the only translation surface in any minimal stratum whose Veech group is the modular group.

V. Berthe showed that the frequencies of factors in a Sturmian word of slope α, as well as the number of factors with a given frequency, can be expressed in terms of the continued fraction expansion of α. In this paper we describe a multi-dimensional continued fraction process associated with a class of sequences of (block) complexity kn+1 originally introduced by P. Arnoux and G. Rauzy. This vectorial division algorithm yields simultaneous rational approximations of the frequencies of the letters. We extend Berthe’s result to factors of Arnoux-Rauzy sequences by expressing both the frequencies and the number of factors with a given frequency, in terms of the ‘convergents’ obtained from the generalized continued fraction expansion of the frequencies of the letters.

Motivated by problems in random continued fraction expansions, this research describes the design and implementation on θ-expansions of a real number, x in (0, θ) where 0 < θ < 1. Initially, for such a number θ, the convergent of θ-expansions is computed with comparison to the regular continued fraction (RCF)-convergent based on the samples of the approximated value, x. θ-expansions algorithm and continued fraction algorithm are applied in a Maple software to compute the θ-convergent and RCF-convergent. In this respect, the purpose of this research is to examine the growth rate of convergent for both expansions and provide the theoretical behaviours of θ-convergent in θ-expansions. Numerical results based on these samples show 3 conditions of convergence growth rate, which are C2 and C4 give the best decimal approximations in θ-expansions, whereas, Cn be the best approximations in RCF expansions. Therefore, this research reveals that various value of θ affect the performance on their growth rate of convergent for these two expansions. As θ approaching to 1, it reduces their convergence errors. The analysis of the experimental results reveals the RCF-convergent give a better performance compared to θ-convergent as its yield to less convergence errors. In addition, the value of convergent do converge to the approximated value, x and that is how the name of convergent comes.

The development of bounds on the complex effective conductivity tensor σ* (that relates the average current to the average electric field in a multicomponent composite) has been hindered by lack of a suitable continued-fraction representation for σ*. Here a new field equation recursion method is developed which gives an expression for σ* as a continued fraction of a novel form incorporating as coefficients the component conductivities and a set of fundamental geometric parameters reflecting the composite geometry. A hierarchy of field equations is set up such that the solutions of the (j+1)th-order equation generate the solutions of thejth-order equation. Consequently the effective tensor Ω(j) associated with thejth-order field equation is expressible as a fractional linear matrix transformation of Ω(j+1). These transformations combine to form the continued fraction expansion for σ*=Ω(0) which is exploited in the following paper, Part II, to obtain bounds: crude bounds on Ω(j), forj≧1, give narrow bounds on σ*. The continued fraction is a generalization to multivariate functions of the continued fraction expansion of single variable Stieltjes functions that proved important in the development of the theory of Páde approximants, asymptotic analysis, and the theory of orthogonal polynomials in the last century. The results extend to other transport problems, including conduction in polycrystalline media, the viscoelasticity of composites, and the response of multicomponent, multiterminal linear electrical networks.

A digital computer program for the design of an all-pass function, with n natural modes, to correct the phase of a prescribed transfer function is discussed. The program is based on the expansion of both the desired phase and that of the all-pass function as a Tchebycheff polynomial series, together with the selection of the all-pass natural modes, so that the first n coefficients in the two series agree. If the over-all delay is unimportant, it may be chosen either to increase the number of matched coefficients by one, or to seek a minimum peak error over the approximating bandwidth. The design process is based on a continued fraction expansion, and a detailed technique for adjusting the over-all delay is discussed. Recurrence relationships are established for expanding the phase of any transfer function as a Tchebycheff polynomial series. The dependence of peak error on approximating bandwidth is discussed, and a routine for the automatic adjustment of the bandwith to meet a specified peak error is described. The design accuracy depends primarily on the root extraction technique, and on the loss of significant figures during continued fraction expansion. Adequate results have been obtained with 8 or 10 natural modes. The speed of the program depends on the number of basic iterations of the design process, which varies from one to ten. On a Ferranti Mercury Computer with <tex xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">n = 8</tex> , the basic iteration time is 20 seconds.

Hausdorff dimension of certain sets arising in continued fraction expansions

In this paper, the design of half sample delay IIR filter is presented. First, the continued fraction expansion (CFE) and its recursive computation are reviewed briefly. Then, the CFE of square root function is applied to design half sample delay IIR filters with various orders. Next, the comparison with conventional maximally flat IIR allpass filter is made and implementation issue is also addressed. Finally, several design examples are illustrated to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

The paper is related to the classical problem of the rational approximation of analytic functions of one or several variables, particulary the issues that arise in the construction and studying of continued fraction expansions and their multidimensional generalizations—branched continued fraction expansions. We used combinations of three- and four-term recurrence relations of the generalized hypergeometric function 3F2 to construct the branched continued fraction expansions of the ratios of this function. We also used the concept of correspondence and the research method to extend convergence, already known for a small region, to a larger region. As a result, we have established some convergence criteria for the expansions mentioned above. It is proved that the branched continued fraction expansions converges to the functions that are an analytic continuation of the ratios mentioned above in some region. The constructed expansions can approximate the solutions of certain differential equations and analytic functions, which are represented by generalized hypergeometric function 3F2. To illustrate this, we have given a few numerical experiments at the end.

The paper deals with the problem of representation of Horn’s hypergeometric functions via continued fractions and branched continued fractions. We construct the formal continued fraction expansions for three ratios of Horn’s hypergeometric functions H7. The method employed is a two-dimensional generalization of the classical method of constructing a Gaussian continued fraction. It is proved that the continued fraction, which is an expansion of each ratio, uniformly converges to a holomorphic function of two variables on every compact subset of some domain of C2, and that this function is an analytic continuation of such a ratio in this domain. To illustrate this, we provide some numerical experiments at the end.

In order to implement the continued fraction algorithm on a highly parallel computer, like the Massively Parallel Processor, it is necessary to be able to compute certain numbers which occur at widely-spaced intervals within the continued fraction expansion of f~, where N is the number to be factored.In this paper several properties of the continued fraction expansion of a quadratic irrational are developed.These results are then applied to the development of a very simple algorithm for finding the widely-spaced numbers referred to above.

In order to implement the continued fraction algorithm on a highly parallel computer, like the Massively Parallel Processor, it is necessary to be able to compute certain numbers which occur at widely-spaced intervals within the continued fraction expansion of N \sqrt N . where N is the number to be factored. In this paper several properties of the continued fraction expansion of a quadratic irrational are developed. These results are then applied to the development of a very simple algorithm for finding the widely-spaced numbers referred to above.

Let ξ be a real number and let n be a positive integer. We define four exponents of Diophantine approximation, which complement the exponents w n (ξ) and w n * (ξ) defined by Mahler and Koksma. We calculate their six values when n=2 and ξ is a real number whose continued fraction expansion coincides with some Sturmian sequence of positive integers, up to the initial terms. In particular, we obtain the exact exponent of approximation to such a continued fraction ξ by quadratic surds.