Periodic structure of translational multi-tilings in the plane

Abstract

Suppose $f\in L^1({\mathbb{R}}^d)$, $\Lambda \subset {\mathbb{R}}^d$ is a finite union of translated lattices such that $f+\Lambda$ tiles with a weight. We prove that there exists a lattice $L\subset {\mathbb{R}}^d$ such that $f+L$ also tiles, with a possibly different weight. As a corollary, together with a result of Kolountzakis, it implies that any convex polygon that multi-tiles the plane by translations admits a lattice multi-tiling, of a possibly different multiplicity. Our second result is a new characterization of convex polygons that multi-tile the plane by translations. It also provides a very efficient criteria to tell whether a convex polygon admits translational multi-tilings. As an application, one can easily construct symmetric $(2m)$-gons, for any $m\ge 4$, that do not multi-tile by translations. Finally, we prove a convex polygon which is not a parallelogram only admits periodic multiple tilings, if any.

Final version, to appear in Amer. J. Math