arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Michael Baake.
Mathematical diffraction theory is concerned with the diffraction image of a given structure and the corresponding inverse problem of structure determination. In recent years, the understanding of systems with continuous and mixed spectra has improved considerably. Moreover, the phenomenon of homometry shows various unexpected new facets. Here, we report on some of the recent results in an exemplary and informal fashion.
The similar sublattices of a planar lattice can be classified via its multiplier ring. The latter is the ring of rational integers in the generic case, and an order in an imaginary quadratic field otherwise. Several classes of examples are discussed, with special emphasis on concrete results. In particular, we derive Dirichlet series generating functions for the number of distinct similar sublattices of a given index, and relate them to various zeta functions of orders in imaginary quadratic fields.
Diffraction methods are at the heart of structure determination of solids. While Bragg-like scattering (pure point diffraction) is a characteristic feature of crystals and quasicrystals, it is not straightforward to interpret continuous diffraction intensities, which are generally linked to the presence of disorder. However, based on simple model systems, we demonstrate that it may be impossible to draw conclusions on the degree of order in the system from its diffraction image. In particular, we construct a family of one-dimensional binary systems which cover the entire entropy range but still share the same purely diffuse diffraction spectrum.
Modelling the process of recombination leads to a large coupled nonlinear dynamical system. Here, we consider a particular case of recombination in {\em discrete} time, allowing only for {\em single crossovers}. While the analogous dynamics in {\em continuous} time admits a closed solution, this no longer works for discrete time. A more general model (i.e. without the restriction to single crossovers) has been studied before and was solved algorithmically by means of Haldane linearisation. Using the special formalism introduced by Baake and Baake (2003), we obtain further insight into the single-crossover dynamics and the particular difficulties that arise in discrete time. We then transform the equations to a solvable system in a two-step procedure: linearisation followed by diagonalisation. Still, the coefficients of the second step must be determined in a recursive manner, but once this is done for a given system, they allow for an explicit solution valid for all times.
It is well-known that the Artin-Mazur dynamical zeta function of a hyperbolic or quasi-hyperbolic toral automorphism is a rational function, which can be calculated in terms of the eigenvalues of the corresponding integer matrix. We give an elementary proof of this fact that extends to the case of general toral endomorphisms without change. The result is a closed formula that can be calculated by integer arithmetic only. We also address the functional equation and the relation between the Artin-Mazur and Lefschetz zeta functions.
The relation between fixed point and orbit count sequences is investigated from the point of view of linear mappings on the space of arithmetic functions. Spectral and asymptotic properties are derived and several quantities are explicitly given in terms of Gaussian binomial coefficients.
The paradigm for singular continuous spectra in symbolic dynamics and in mathematical diffraction is provided by the Thue-Morse chain, in its realisation as a binary sequence with values in $\{\pm 1\}$. We revisit this example and derive a functional equation together with an explicit form of the corresponding singular continuous diffraction measure, which is related to the known representation as a Riesz product.
Counting periodic orbits of endomorphisms on the 2-torus is considered, with special focus on the relation between global and local aspects and between the dynamical zeta function on the torus and its analogue on finite lattices. The situation on the lattices, up to local conjugacy, is completely determined by the determinant, the trace and a third invariant of the matrix defining the toral endomorphism.
The inverse problem of diffraction theory in essence amounts to the reconstruction of the atomic positions of a solid from its diffraction image. From a mathematical perspective, this is a notoriously difficult problem, even in the idealised situation of perfect diffraction from an infinite structure. Here, the problem is analysed via the autocorrelation measure of the underlying point set, where two point sets are called homometric when they share the same autocorrelation. For the class of mathematical quasicrystals within a given cut and project scheme, the homometry problem becomes equivalent to Matheron's covariogram problem, in the sense of determining the window from its covariogram. Although certain uniqueness results are known for convex windows, interesting examples of distinct homometric model sets already emerge in the plane. The uncertainty level increases in the presence of diffuse scattering. Already in one dimension, a mixed spectrum can be compatible with structures of different entropy. We expand on this example by constructing a family of mixed systems with fixed diffraction image but varying entropy. We also outline how this generalises to higher dimension.
Similar sublattices of the root lattice $A_4$ are possible, according to a result of Conway, Rains and Sloane, for each index that is the square of a non-zero integer of the form $m^2 + mn - n^2$. Here, we add a constructive approach, based on the arithmetic of the quaternion algebra $\mathbb{H} (\mathbb{Q} (\sqrt{5}))$ and the existence of a particular involution of the second kind, which also provides the actual sublattices and the number of different solutions for a given index. The corresponding Dirichlet series generating function is closely related to the zeta function of the icosian ring.
Particle models with finitely many types of particles are considered, both on $\mathbb{Z}^d$ and on discrete point sets of finite local complexity. Such sets include many standard examples of aperiodic order such as model sets or certain substitution systems. The particle gas is defined by an interaction potential and a corresponding Gibbs measure. Under some reasonable conditions on the underlying point set and the potential, we show that the corresponding diffraction measure almost surely exists and consists of a pure point part and an absolutely continuous part with continuous density. In particular, no singular continuous part is present.
It is a well-known fact that genetic sequences may contain sections with repeated units, called repeats, that differ in length over a population, with a length distribution of geometric type. A simple class of recombination models with single crossovers is analysed that result in equilibrium distributions of this type. Due to the nonlinear and infinite-dimensional nature of these models, their analysis requires some nontrivial tools from measure theory and functional analysis, which makes them interesting also from a mathematical point of view. In particular, they can be viewed as quadratic, hence nonlinear, analogues of Markov chains.
Delone sets of finite local complexity in Euclidean space are investigated. We show that such a set has patch counting and topological entropy 0 if it has uniform cluster frequencies and is pure point diffractive. We also note that the patch counting entropy is 0 whenever the repetitivity function satisfies a certain growth restriction.
The coincidence site lattices of the root lattice $A_4$ are considered, and the statistics of the corresponding coincidence rotations according to their indices is expressed in terms of a Dirichlet series generating function. This is possible via an embedding of $A_4$ into the icosian ring with its rich arithmetic structure, which recently (arXiv:math.MG/0702448) led to the classification of the similar sublattices of $A_4$.
It is shown how regular model sets can be characterized in terms of regularity properties of their associated dynamical systems. The proof proceeds in two steps. First, we characterize regular model sets in terms of a certain map $β$ and then relate the properties of $β$ to ones of the underlying dynamical system. As a by-product, we can show that regular model sets are, in a suitable sense, as close to periodic sets as possible among repetitive aperiodic sets.
Various theoretical and algorithmic aspects of inverse problems in discrete tomography of planar Penrose model sets are discussed. These are motivated by the demand of materials science for the reconstruction of quasicrystalline structures from a small number of images produced by quantitative high resolution transmission electron microscopy.
Diffraction images with continuous rotation symmetry arise from amorphous systems, but also from regular crystals when investigated by powder diffraction. On the theoretical side, pinwheel patterns and their higher dimensional generalisations display such symmetries as well, in spite of being perfectly ordered. We present first steps and results towards a general frame to investigate such systems, with emphasis on statistical properties that are helpful to understand and compare the diffraction images. An alternative substitution rule for the pinwheel tiling, with two different prototiles, permits the derivation of several combinatorial and spectral properties of this still somewhat enigmatic example. These results are compared with properties of the square lattice and its powder diffraction.
Two Delone sets are called homometric when they share the same autocorrelation or Patterson measure. A model set LAMBDA within a given cut and project scheme is a Delone set that is defined through a window W in internal space. The autocorrelation measure of LAMBDA is a pure point measure whose coefficients can be calculated via the so-called covariogram of W. Two windows with the same covariogram thus result in homometric model sets. On the other hand, the inverse problem of determining LAMBDA from its diffraction image ultimately amounts to reconstructing W from its covariogram. This is also known as Matheron's covariogram problem. It is well studied in convex geometry, where certain uniqueness results have been obtained in recent years. However, for non-convex windows, uniqueness fails in a relevant way, so that interesting applications to the homometry problem emerge. We discuss this in a simple setting and show a planar example of distinct homometric model sets.