Elementary Fractal Geometry. 2. Carpets Involving Irrational Rotations

Self-similar sets with the open set condition, the linear objects of fractal geometry, have been considered mainly for crystallographic data. Here we introduce new symmetry classes in the plane, based on rotation by irrational angles. Examples without characteristic directions, with strong connectedness and small complexity, were found in a computer-assisted search. They are surprising since the rotations are given by rational matrices, and the proof of the open set condition usually requires integer data. We develop a classification of self-similar sets by symmetry class and algebraic numbers. Examples are given for various quadratic number fields.

The mutual singularity of the relative multifractal measures

M. Das proved that the relative multifractal measures are mutually singular for the self-similar measures satisfying the significantly weaker open set condition. The aim of this paper is to show that these measures are mutually singular in a more general framework. As examples, we apply our main results to quasi-Bernoulli measures.

Hölder Parameterization of Iterated Function Systems and a Self-Aflne Phenomenon

We investigate the Hölder geometry of curves generated by iterated function systems (IFS) in a complete metric space. A theorem of Hata from 1985 asserts that every connected attractor of an IFS is locally connected and path-connected. We give a quantitative strengthening of Hata’s theorem. First we prove that every connected attractor of an IFS is (1/s)-Hölder path-connected, where s is the similarity dimension of the IFS. Then we show that every connected attractor of an IFS is parameterized by a (1/ α)-Hölder curve for all α > s. At the endpoint, α = s, a theorem of Remes from 1998 already established that connected self-similar sets in Euclidean space that satisfy the open set condition are parameterized by (1/s)-Hölder curves. In a secondary result, we show how to promote Remes’ theorem to self-similar sets in complete metric spaces, but in this setting require the attractor to have positive s-dimensional Hausdorff measure in lieu of the open set condition. To close the paper, we determine sharp Hölder exponents of parameterizations in the class of connected self-affine Bedford-McMullen carpets and build parameterizations of self-affine sponges. An interesting phenomenon emerges in the self-affine setting. While the optimal parameter s for a self-similar curve in ℝ n is always at most the ambient dimension n, the optimal parameter s for a self-affine curve in ℝ n may be strictly greater than n.

The Mean Minkowski Content of Homogeneous Random Fractals

Homogeneous random fractals form a probabilistic generalisation of self-similar sets with more dependencies than in random recursive constructions. Under the Uniform Strong Open Set Condition we show that the mean D-dimensional (average) Minkowski content is positive and finite, where the mean Minkowski dimension D is, in general, greater than its almost sure variant. Moreover, an integral representation extending that from the special deterministic case is derived.

SPACE-FILLING CURVES OF SELF-SIMILAR SETS (III): SKELETONS

Skeleton is a new notion designed for constructing space-filling curves of self-similar sets. In a previous paper by Dai and the authors [Space-filling curves of self-similar sets (II): Edge-to-trail substitution rule, Nonlinearity 32(5) (2019) 1772–1809] it was shown that for all the connected self-similar sets with a skeleton satisfying the open set condition, space-filling curves can be constructed. In this paper, we give a criterion of existence of skeletons by using the so-called neighbor graph of a self-similar set. In particular, we show that a connected self-similar set satisfying the finite-type condition always possesses skeletons: an algorithm is obtained here.

Birkhoff and Lyapunov Spectra on Planar Self-affine Sets

Working on strongly irreducible planar self-affine sets satisfying the strong open set condition, we calculate the Birkhoff spectrum of continuous potentials and the Lyapunov spectrum.

Lower Assouad Dimension of Measures and Regularity

In analogy with the lower Assouad dimensions of a set, we study the lower Assouad dimensions of a measure. As with the upper Assouad dimensions, the lower Assouad dimensions of a measure provide information about the extreme local behaviour of the measure. We study the connection with other dimensions and with regularity properties. In particular, the quasi-lower Assouad dimension is dominated by the infimum of the measure’s lower local dimensions. Although strict inequality is possible in general, equality holds for the class of self-similar measures of finite type. This class includes all self-similar, equicontractive measures satisfying the open set condition, as well as certain “overlapping” self-similar measures, such as Bernoulli convolutions with contraction factors that are inverses of Pisot numbers. We give lower bounds for the lower Assouad dimension for measures arising from a Moran construction, prove that self-affine measures are uniformly perfect and have positive lower Assouad dimension, prove that the Assouad spectrum of a measure converges to its quasi-Assouad dimension and show that coincidence of the upper and lower Assouad dimension of a measure does not imply that the measure is s-regular.

The quasi-Assouad dimension of stochastically self-similar sets

The class of stochastically self-similar sets contains many famous examples of random sets, for example, Mandelbrot percolation and general fractal percolation. Under the assumption of the uniform open set condition and some mild assumptions on the iterated function systems used, we show that the quasi-Assouad dimension of self-similar random recursive sets is almost surely equal to the almost sure Hausdorff dimension of the set. We further comment on random homogeneous and V -variable sets and the removal of overlap conditions.

An analogue of Khintchine's theorem for self-conformal sets

Khintchine's theorem is a classical result from metric number theory which relates the Lebesgue measure of certain limsup sets with the convergence/divergence of naturally occurring volume sums. In this paper we ask whether an analogous result holds for iterated function systems (IFS's). We say that an IFS is approximation regular if we observe Khintchine type behaviour, i.e., if the size of certain limsup sets defined using the IFS is determined by the convergence/divergence of naturally occurring sums. We prove that an IFS is approximation regular if it consists of conformal mappings and satisfies the open set condition. The divergence condition we introduce incorporates the inhomogeneity present within the IFS. We demonstrate via an example that such an approach is essential. We also formulate an analogue of the Duffin–Schaeffer conjecture and show that it holds for a set of full Hausdorff dimension.Combining our results with the mass transference principle of Beresnevich and Velani [4], we prove a general result that implies the existence of exceptional points within the attractor of our IFS. These points are exceptional in the sense that they are “very well approximated”. As a corollary of this result, we obtain a general solution to a problem of Mahler, and prove that there are badly approximable numbers that are very well approximated by quadratic irrationals.The ideas put forward in this paper are introduced in the general setting of iterated function systems that may contain overlaps. We believe that by viewing iterated function systems from the perspective of metric number theory, one can gain a greater insight into the extent to which they overlap. The results of this paper should be interpreted as a first step in this investigation.