Some complexity results in the theory of normal numbers

Abstract

Let $\mathscr{N}(b)$ be the set of real numbers which are normal to base $b$. A well-known result of H. Ki and T. Linton is that $\mathscr{N}(b)$ is $\boldsymbol{\Pi}^0_3$-complete. We show that the set $\mathscr{N}(b)$ of reals which preserve $\mathscr{N}(b)$ under addition is also $\boldsymbol{\Pi}^0_3$-complete. We use the characteriztion of $\mathscr{N}(b)$ given by G. Rauzy in terms of an entropy-like quantity called the noise. It follows from our results that no further characteriztion theorems could result in a still better bound on the complexity of $\mathscr{N}(b)$. We compute the exact descriptive complexity of other naturally occurring sets associated with noise. One of these is complete at the $\boldsymbol{\Pi}^0_4$ level. Finally, we get upper and lower bounds on the Hausdorff dimension of the level sets associated with the noise.