Canonical number systems, counting automata and fractals

Abstract

In this paper we study properties of the fundamental domain [Fscr ]β of number systems, which are defined in rings of integers of number fields. First we construct addition automata for these number systems. Since [Fscr ]β defines a tiling of the n-dimensional vector space, we ask, which tiles of this tiling ‘touch’ [Fscr ]β. It turns out that the set of these tiles can be described with help of an automaton, which can be constructed via an easy algorithm which starts with the above-mentioned addition automaton. The addition automaton is also useful in order to determine the box counting dimension of the boundary of [Fscr ]β. Since this boundary is a so-called graph-directed self-affine set, it is not possible to apply the general theory for the calculation of the box counting dimension of self similar sets. Thus we have to use direct methods.