Generalized $\beta$-expansions, substitution tilings, and local finiteness

Abstract

For a fairly general class of two-dimensional tiling substitutions, we prove that if the length expansion $\beta$ is a Pisot number, then the tilings defined by the substitution must be locally finite. We also give a simple example of a two-dimensional substitution on rectangular tiles, with a non-Pisot length expansion $\beta$, such that no tiling admitted by the substitution is locally finite. The proofs of both results are effectively one-dimensional and involve the idea of a certain type of generalized $\beta$-transformation.

14 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in the Transactions of the AMS. Reference added, typos fixed, and minor edits reflecting the referee's report