Unsupported Cyclotomic Divisors in Three-Prime Integer Tilings

Abstract

Cyclotomic divisibility imposes strong prime-power structure on integer tiles. We study unsupported cyclotomic divisors: mixed-order divisors for which none of the prime-power components of the order divides the mask, although every prime in the order divides the tile cardinality. Kiss, Łaba, Marshall and Somlai asked whether such a phenomenon can occur in the three-prime setting. We prove that unsupported cyclotomic divisors already occur for periods with three distinct prime factors. For primes \(p<q<r\), we characterize the square-period case: an unsupported factor \(Φ_{pqr}\) occurs in a tiling of \(\ZZ_{(pqr)^2}\) if and only if \(r\in\langle p,q\rangle\), and every such tile lies in a single residue class modulo \(r\). Among cyclic tilings with the unsupported order dividing the specified modulus, the smallest modulus is \(180\); if the order has three distinct prime factors, it is \(900\). An Apéry-set construction gives examples for every triple at period \(p^2q^2r^3\).The proof of our results combines Fourier rigidity, a three-cylinder decomposition, and an integer mass obstruction.

19 pages