The continuous periodic tiling conjecture

About 4 years old · traced to

Let Σ\Sigma be a bounded measurable subset of Rd\mathbb{R}^d with positive measure. For Λ⊆Rd\Lambda\subseteq\mathbb{R}^d, write

Λ⊕Σ=a.e.Rd\Lambda\oplus\Sigma=_{\mathrm{a.e.}}\mathbb{R}^d

when the translates λ+Σ\lambda+\Sigma partition Rd\mathbb{R}^d up to null sets. The set Λ\Lambda is periodic if it is a finite union of cosets of a lattice, meaning a discrete cocompact subgroup of Rd\mathbb{R}^d. The tiling equation is aperiodic if it has solutions, but none of its solutions are periodic.

Continuous periodic tiling conjecture. Let Σ\Sigma be a bounded measurable subset of Rd\mathbb{R}^d of positive measure. Then the tiling equation

Λ⊕Σ=a.e.Rd\Lambda\oplus\Sigma=_{\mathrm{a.e.}}\mathbb{R}^d

is not aperiodic.

Equivalently, whenever Σ\Sigma tiles Euclidean space measurably by translations, it has a periodic translational tiling. The supplied text gives no resolution of this continuous analogue.

Equivalent formulations 2Other wordings

Other statements of this same problem, merged from separate entries. Each is equivalent to the statement above — proving any one settles them all.

  1. The continuous periodic tiling conjecture

    Let Σ\Sigma be a bounded measurable subset of Euclidean space Rd\mathbb{R}^d. A discrete set Λ⊆Rd\Lambda\subseteq\mathbb{R}^d gives a measurable tiling when the translates partition Rd\mathbb{R}^d up to null sets; call the tiling periodic when Λ\Lambda is a finite union of cosets of a lattice in Rd\mathbb{R}^d. Continuous periodic tiling conjecture. If Σ\Sigma tiles Rd\mathbb{R}^d by translations, then Σ\Sigma periodically tiles Rd\mathbb{R}^d by translations. The conjecture is known in the one-dimensional settings G=ZG=\mathbb{Z} and G=RG=\mathbb{R}, but the higher-dimensional problem is not resolved here.

    source: Rachel Greenfeld and Terence Tao, “A counterexample to the periodic tiling conjecture (announcement)”, arXiv:2209.08451 (2022).

  2. The continuous periodic tiling conjecture

    Let Ω⊂Rd\Omega\subset\mathbb{R}^d be a bounded measurable set of positive measure. A continuous translational tiling is a set T⊂RdT\subset\mathbb{R}^d such that

    Ω⊕T=a.e.Rd.\Omega\oplus T=_{\mathrm{a.e.}}\mathbb{R}^d.

    A tiling set is periodic if it is invariant under translations by some lattice Λ⊂Rd\Lambda\subset\mathbb{R}^d.

    Continuous periodic tiling conjecture. The tiling equation Ω⊕X=a.e.Rd\Omega\oplus X=_{\mathrm{a.e.}}\mathbb{R}^d is not aperiodic. Equivalently, if Tile⁡(Ω;Rd)\operatorname{Tile}(\Omega;\mathbb{R}^d) is nonempty, then it contains a periodic set TT.

    This is proposed as the continuous analogue of the discrete periodic tiling conjecture. The source does not state whether it is resolved.

    source: Rachel Greenfeld, “Translational tilings: structured or wild?”, arXiv:2509.25576 (2025).

References

Primary source

Rachel Greenfeld and Terence Tao, “A counterexample to the periodic tiling conjecture”, arXiv:2211.15847 (2024).

Progress summary

Never refreshed

Nothing recorded yet. Refresh searches the literature and the public web for attempts on this problem, and writes the first summary here.

Solutions 0

No solutions have been posted yet.