Coding of substitution dynamical systems as shifts of finite type

Abstract

We develop a theory that allows us to code dynamical systems induced by primitive substitutions continuously as shifts of finite type in many different ways. The well-known prefix–suffix coding turns out to correspond to one special case. We precisely analyse the basic properties of these codings (injectivity, coding of the periodic points, properties of the presentation graph, interaction with the shift map). A lot of examples illustrate the theory and show that, depending on the particular coding, several amazing effects may occur. The results give new insights into the theory of substitution dynamical systems and might serve as a powerful tool for further researches.