Multiplicatively badly approximable numbers and generalised Cantor sets

Abstract

Let p be a prime number. The p-adic case of the Mixed Littlewood Conjecture states that liminf_{q \to \infty} q . |q|_p . ||q x|| = 0 for all real numbers x. We show that with the additional factor of log q.loglog q the statement is false. Indeed, our main result implies that the set of x for which liminf_{q\to\infty} q . log q . loglog q. |q|_p . ||qx|| > 0 is of full dimension. The result is obtained as an application of a general framework for Cantor sets developed in this paper.