Fusion: A general framework for hierarchical tilings

Abstract

One well studied way to construct quasicrystalline tilings is via inflate-and-subdivide (a.k.a. substitution) rules. These produce self-similar tilings--the Penrose, octagonal, and pinwheel tilings are famous examples. We present a different model for generating hierarchical tilings we call "fusion rules". Inflate-and-subdivide rules are a special case of fusion rules, but general fusion rules are more flexible and allow for defects, changes in geometry, and even constrained randomness. A condition that produces homogeneous structures and a method for computing frequency for fusion tiling spaces are discussed.

This paper is to appear in the proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Quasicrystallography. It is written as an introduction for non-mathematicians