An automata-based test for bricks over string algebras

Motivated by the recent work of Deaconu, Mousavand and Paquette on the connection between infinite string bricks for certain gentle algebras and Sturmian words, we develop a decorated version of a deterministic automaton, called a multi-entry inverse automaton (MIA, for short) that accepts pointed words. We then associate an MIA $\mathsf M_{\Lambda\delta}$ over $\{0,1\}$ to a string algebra $\Lambda$, and show that strings over $\Lambda$ can be viewed as certain equivalence classes of the pointed words accepted by $\mathsf M_{\Lambda\delta}$. By defining (weak) brick words over this MIA, we show that a finite/infinite string module (resp. band module) is a brick if and only if every word in the associated equivalence class of pointed binary words is a brick word (resp. a weak brick word) over $\mathsf M_{\Lambda\delta}$. The result of Deaconu et al. follows as an immediate consequence.