Regular sequences and synchronized sequences in abstract numeration systems

Émilie Charlier, Célia Cisternino, Manon Stipulanti

Published 2020-12-09Version 1

The notion of $b$-regular sequences was generalized to abstract numeration systems by Maes and Rigo in 2002. Their definition is based on a notion of $\mathcal{S}$-kernel that extends that of $b$-kernel. However, this definition does not allow us to generalize all of the many characterizations of $b$-regular sequences. In this paper, we present an alternative definition of $\mathcal{S}$-kernel, and hence an alternative definition of $\mathcal{S}$-regular sequences, which enables us to use recognizable formal series in order to generalize most (if not all) known characterizations of $b$-regular sequences to abstract numeration systems. We then give two characterizations of $\mathcal{S}$-automatic sequences as particular $\mathcal{S}$-regular sequences. Next, we present a general method to obtain various families of $\mathcal{S}$-regular sequences by enumerating $\mathcal{S}$-recognizable properties of $\mathcal{S}$-automatic sequences. As an example of the many possible applications of this method, we show that, provided that addition is $\mathcal{S}$-recognizable, the factor complexity of an $\mathcal{S}$-automatic sequence defines an $\mathcal{S}$-regular sequence. In the last part of the paper, we study $\mathcal{S}$-synchronized sequences. Along the way, we prove that the formal series obtained as the composition of a synchronized relation and a recognizable series is recognizable. As a consequence, the composition of an $\mathcal{S}$-synchronized sequence and a $\mathcal{S}$-regular sequence is shown to be $\mathcal{S}$-regular. All our results are presented in an arbitrary dimension $d$ and for an arbitrary semiring $\mathbb{K}$.