English

Low complexity binary words avoiding $(5/2)^+$-powers

Combinatorics 2025-10-22 v3 Formal Languages and Automata Theory

Abstract

Rote words are infinite words that contain 2n2n factors of length nn for every n1n \geq 1. Shallit and Shur, as well as Ollinger and Shallit, showed that there are Rote words that avoid (5/2)+(5/2)^+-powers and that this is best possible. In this note we give a structure theorem for the Rote words that avoid (5/2)+(5/2)^+-powers, confirming a conjecture of Ollinger and Shallit.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2506.19050,
  title  = {Low complexity binary words avoiding $(5/2)^+$-powers},
  author = {James Currie and Narad Rampersad},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2506.19050},
  year   = {2025}
}

Comments

12 pages; main structure theorem restated to cover all cases for complementation/reversal of factors

R2 v1 2026-07-01T03:30:13.564Z