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LEVEL 1 OF 1 · Color the Plane
The Euclidean plane is not five-colorable
expertly designed by an internal OpenAI model · released 2026-09-23
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IntroductionA proper \(k\)-coloring of the Euclidean plane is a function \(c:\mathbb R^2\to\{1,\ldots,k\}\) such that \(c(x)\ne c(y)\) whenever \(\lVert x-y\rVert=1\). The Hadwiger–Nelson problem asks for the least such \(k\), denoted by \(\chi(\mathbb R^2)\), with no regularity imposed on the color classes. Equivalently, it asks for the chromatic number of the graph whose vertices are all points of the plane and whose edges are the unit-distance pairs. Edges in a finite drawing of this graph may cross. The problem dates to Edward Nelson in 1950. Nelson obtained the lower bound four, and John Isbell found the upper bound seven by a hexagonal coloring; the historical record of these unpublished observations is recounted by Soifer (2003, 15–19). Hadwiger’s published formulation (Hadwiger 1961) asks for a covering by sets that avoid unit distance and gives the bounds four and seven. The seven-point construction of Moser and Moser (1961), now called the Moser spindle, gives a particularly small finite obstruction to three colors. We use its two overlapping-triangle constraints again in the final step of our proof and verify the required placement explicitly. The lower bound remained four until Grey (2018) constructed a finite unit-distance graph that is not four-colorable in 2018. His corrected construction has 1,581 vertices. Subsequent work made these finite obstructions smaller and their verification more accessible: Heule (2018) used satisfiability proofs and extraction of unsatisfiable cores to obtain 553-vertex examples, and Parts (2020a) obtained a 509-vertex graph. Exoo and Ismailescu (2020) gave an alternative proof of the lower bound five, and Parts gave a human-verifiable proof (Parts 2020b). These advances concern finite obstructions to four colors. The compactness theorem of Bruijn and Erdős (1951, Theorem 1) says that a graph is \(k\)-colorable, for fixed finite \(k\), if and only if every finite subgraph is \(k\)-colorable. Consequently an unrestricted lower bound can also be established without first displaying a finite graph witnessing it. The problem with measurable color classes has a different history. Write \(\chi_m(\mathbb R^2)\) for the least number of colors when each class must be Lebesgue measurable. Falconer (1981) proved \(\chi_m(\mathbb R^2)\ge5\) using density points and rotations. Payne (2009) developed this method for translation-invariant unit-distance subgraphs. In particular, the graph on all of \(\mathbb R^2\) whose edges have rational unit displacement vectors is two-colorable, while every measurable coloring requires at least five colors. Thus measurable and unrestricted colorings cannot be identified merely because their distance constraints look the same. For colorings by regular regions, Woodall (1973) studied distance-avoiding closed covers and region decompositions. Townsend corrected Woodall’s argument for a six-color lower bound in the planar-map setting, announcing the repair in 1981 and giving its details in 2005 (Townsend 1981, 2005). More recently, Sokolov and Voronov (2025) proved a lower bound seven for polygonal colorings in a locally finite map framework. Their interface argument excludes both adjacent colors wherever distances to the interface take values both below and above one. We derive corresponding exclusions from weak measurable data, without assuming regular color boundaries. We prove the following result, working throughout in ZFC. Theorem 1. The Euclidean plane has no proper five-coloring, even when arbitrary color classes are allowed. Consequently, \[6\le \chi(\mathbb R^2)\le 7.\] The remaining alternatives six and seven are unresolved.1 The proof has two parts: a transfer from unrestricted proper colorings to a measurable condition, and a geometric obstruction to five labels under that condition. The transfer holds for every finite number of colors. Definition 2 (Weak measurable coloring). Let \(k\) be a positive integer, let \(S^1\subset\mathbb R^2\) be the unit circle, and let \(\sigma\) be its normalized arc-length measure. A weak measurable \(k\)-coloring is a Lebesgue measurable function \(c:\mathbb R^2\to\{1,\ldots,k\}\), with color classes \(A_i=c^{-1}(\{i\})\), such that, for every \(R>0\), \[\sum_{i=1}^k\int_{B(0,R)}\int_{S^1} \mathbf 1_{A_i}(x)\mathbf 1_{A_i}(x+u)\,d\sigma(u)\,dx=0.\] The integrals use the completed product measure; equivalently, one may first choose Borel representatives of the color classes forming a partition of the plane. This definition permits exceptional unit pairs. It is unchanged by modifying the coloring on a plane Lebesgue null set: by Fubini, the pairs for which either \(x\) or \(x+u\) belongs to that set have product measure zero. The required bridge to the unrestricted problem is the following equivalence. Theorem 3 (Transfer of colorability). For every positive integer \(k\), in ZFC, \[ \begin{gathered} \text{a proper $k$-coloring of $\mathbb R^2$ exists} \\ \Longleftrightarrow \\ \text{a weak measurable $k$-coloring of $\mathbb R^2$ exists}. \end{gathered} \tag{1}\] Theorem 4. There is no weak measurable five-coloring of the Euclidean plane. Deduction of Theorem 1. A proper five-coloring would give a weak measurable five-coloring by Theorem 3, contrary to Theorem 4. For the upper bound, use the hexagonal construction described by Hadwiger (1961). Take Voronoi hexagons of a triangular lattice, each with circumradius \(r=2/5\). Their centers have nearest-neighbor distance \(\sqrt3r\). Write the lattice as a scaled copy of \(\mathbb Z+\mathbb Z\omega\), where \(\omega=e^{2\pi i/3}\). Multiplication by \(2-\omega\) gives a similar sublattice of index seven, since \(|2-\omega|^2=7\). Color centers by its seven cosets, and give each point the color of its hexagon, assigning boundary points to any incident hexagon. Distances inside one hexagon are at most \(2r<1\). Centers of distinct same-color hexagons are at least \(\sqrt{21}r\) apart, so points in those hexagons are at least \((\sqrt{21}-2)r>1\) apart. This is a proper seven-coloring, including all boundaries. ◻ Proof overview and the role of earlier methodsThe two parts of the proof address different obstacles. A coloring with arbitrary classes provides no density-point structure to use, while a measurable coloring may have boundaries far too irregular to analyze as a planar map. Theorem 3 supplies the measurable input. The proof of Theorem 4 then constructs the connected interfaces it needs instead of assuming them. Figure 1 shows how these two parts combine. From arbitrary labels to measurable fields.Let \(F\) be the field of real algebraic numbers, \(E=F(i)\) the algebraic plane, and \(K=\{u\in E:|u|=1\}\) its group of algebraic rotations. Restricting a proper coloring to the countable set \(E\) and averaging its translates and rotations gives an invariant probability law on proper labelings of \(E\). This is a standard amenable averaging construction. Probabilistic approaches to the Hadwiger–Nelson problem already use invariant randomization and finite-graph compactness (Bourgeat et al. 2015; Gwyn and Stavrianos 2022); Følner averaging over countable groups of plane isometries also occurs in the fractional-coloring work of Matolcsi et al. (2025). These methods supply symmetry. Here a further argument must retain the unit-distance exclusions while producing ordinary measurable functions on the plane. For this purpose let \(D\) be the compact group of all characters of the additive discrete group \(E\). A character is a homomorphism from \(E\) to the unit complex circle. The ordinary continuous characters form the Borel subgroup \[C=\{z\mapsto\exp(i\xi\cdot z):\xi\in\mathbb R^2\}\subset D.\] Rotations act on characters by \((ud)(z)=d(uz)\). The spectral theorem, in \(L^2\) of the invariant labeling law, separates each label indicator into the part supported on \(C\) and its orthogonal remainder. The central rigidity statement, Theorem 8, says that every \(K\)-invariant probability on \(D\) assigning zero mass to \(C\) is Haar probability. The remainder therefore has zero correlation under every nonzero algebraic translation, so removing it preserves the zero unit correlations. The \(C\)-supported subspace is the space of functions on a probability factor, so projection onto it is conditional expectation and preserves nonnegativity and keeps the sum of the label coordinates equal to one. Translation operators on this factor extend continuously to \(\mathbb R^2\). The translated coordinates admit jointly measurable versions, giving fields on the plane and the probability space. For a suitable sample, choose the least label with positive coordinate at each point where the coordinates sum to one, and assign arbitrary labels on the remaining plane-null set. The zero unit correlations give the weak measurable coloring condition. Section 4 carries out this passage, including the measurable-version and exceptional-pair details. The rigidity proof occupies Sections 2 and 3. Its structural ingredient is the Furstenberg–Zimmer compact-extension method (Furstenberg 1977; Zimmer 1976b, 1976a). We give the particular compact-factor tower and conditional averaging arguments used here; the corrected modern account of Jamneshan (2023, 2026) supplies further context. For an ergodic law, a relative singularity lemma along that tower shows that the law of the difference of two characters, sampled conditionally independently over its terminal factor, still gives \(C\) measure zero. Its Fourier coefficient is nonnegative and radial, and its line averages defined by an invariant mean vanish. Two identities between sums of algebraic unit directions give a difference inequality for this coefficient. A finite number-field argument shows that a positive value at any nonzero radius would force a uniform positive lower bound on an interval of algebraic radii, contradicting those averages. This proves Haar rigidity without a regularity assumption on the original coloring. For the converse transfer, density points of a weak color class contain no unit pair (Lemma 20). This adapts the familiar density-point mechanism of Falconer and Payne to product-almost-everywhere unit-pair exclusion. A common translation places any fixed finite configuration among points having density one in their assigned color, called typical points, and graph compactness then gives a proper coloring of the whole plane. The weak condition uses Lebesgue measure in position and arc length in direction; it is distinct from the invariant-mean notion of monochromatic-pair frequency in Gwyn and Stavrianos (2022). From weak labels to connected exclusions.For the five-color obstruction, fix a center \(x\) and take weak-* limits of the typical angular samples \(e\mapsto(\mathbf 1_{A_i}(y+re))_{i=1}^5\), where \(e\in S^1\), \(y\to x\), and \(r\to1\). The palette at \((x,e)\) collects, up to angular null sets, all labels having positive weight at \(e\) in these limits. Smooth transport of two unit directions gives exclusions between palettes. Section 5 shows that almost every palette contains at most two labels, at every fixed center. Section 6 records abundant transitions between labels in a finite graph at each center and proves that centers where this graph contains a cycle form a closed locally finite set. The estimates use the decay of the Fourier transform of circle measure; no finite perimeter or smoothness of a color boundary is assumed. Section 7 smooths the color indicators by disk averages, then thresholds and renormalizes the resulting probability vectors. Outside disks with vanishing total radii, these modified vectors have at most two positive coordinates, so they lie in the complete graph on the five labels. The forest structure away from cyclic centers lets us fill the holes in those regions continuously in that graph. A planar cover obstruction forces a nontrivial loop around one cyclic-center disk. A simple cycle in the reduced edge path of that loop supplies the label cycle. For each edge midpoint, a connected component of its inverse image crosses the annulus. Limits of these components give compact connected sets \(K_j\) with a common point \(x\). Each \(K_j\) is assigned the two endpoint labels of its edge. Both endpoint labels are absent almost everywhere from the open region \[\Delta(K_j)=\{z:\min_{q\in K_j}|z-q|<1<\max_{q\in K_j}|z-q|\}.\] This connected-set exclusion has a geometric predecessor in the interface arguments of Sokolov and Voronov (2025, Propositions 1–2). Here the continua and their common point are consequences of the measure estimates and the topological extraction. A simple cycle on five labels has length three, four, or five. Section 8 excludes each possibility. Chosen limiting directions of sequences in the continua approaching \(x\) determine allowed labels just inside and just outside the unit circle about \(x\). A five-cycle gives incompatible six-position angular words. A four-cycle gives two antipodal pairs of directions and an impossible parity rule. A three-cycle forces six alternating sectors for the two outside labels. The last configuration leaves an open region using only the three cycle labels almost everywhere; a rational placement certificate puts all seven vertices of the Moser obstruction in that region. These contradictions complete the proof of Theorem 4. A probabilistic consequenceCorollary 5 (Positive five-color badness). There is a constant \(\delta>0\) with the following properties.
Proof. Theorem 1 and graph compactness (Bruijn and Erdős 1951, Theorem 1) give a finite unit-distance graph \(H\) that is not five-colorable. Set \(m=|E(H)|\) and \(\delta=1/m\). Every five-coloring of \(H\) has at least one monochromatic edge. Averaging this count with any of the measures in (i) gives \(mp_5^\mu(c)\ge1\), by isometry invariance and finite additivity; this is the finite-graph bound of Gwyn and Stavrianos (2022, Lemma 2.10 and Theorem 2.11). The periodic and asymptotic needle frequencies in (ii) are bounded below by the minimum monochromatic-edge fraction of \(H\), hence by \(1/m\), by Bourgeat et al. (2015, Theorems 1–2). Borel representatives give the same needle frequencies by Fubini; for a periodic coloring choose them in one cell and extend periodically. The graph and the positive constant here are existential. ◻ Spectral preliminaries and relative singularityThis section and Section 3 establish the probability-law rigidity used in the coloring transfer of Section 4. The laws live on the character group of the discrete algebraic plane. We state the rigidity theorem after defining that group, then prove that exclusion of ordinary continuous characters persists in the conditional difference laws arising along compact towers. This relative singularity is the input to the Fourier argument in Section 3. Algebraic rotations and continuous charactersDefinition 6. Identify the plane with \(\mathbb C\), and set \[F=\overline{\mathbb Q}\cap\mathbb R,\qquad E=F(i),\qquad K=\{u\in E:u\bar u=1\}.\] We regard \(E\) as an additive discrete group and \(K\) as a multiplicative discrete group. Let \[D=\widehat{E_{\mathrm{disc}}}\] be the compact character group of \(E\). A point \(d\in D\) is a homomorphism from the additive group \(E\) to the unit complex group \(\mathbb T\). We use additive notation on \(D\), so \((d+d')(z)=d(z)d'(z)\). For \(a,z\in E\), put \[(ad)(z)=d(az),\qquad \psi_z(d)=d(z).\] The subgroup of ordinary continuous characters is \[ C=j(\mathbb R^2),\qquad j(\xi)(z)=\exp(i\xi\cdot z), \tag{2}\] where the dot product uses the real coordinates of \(z\). Both \(E\) and \(K\) are countable abelian groups. Every nonzero power map \(u\mapsto u^n\) on \(K\) is onto: a complex \(n\)th root of an algebraic number of modulus one is again algebraic and has modulus one; negative powers also cause no difficulty. Thus \(K\) is divisible. The compact group \(D\) is metrizable because \(E\) is countable. The map \(j\) is continuous and injective. Indeed, a continuous plane character that is one on the dense subgroup \(E\) is one everywhere, and its frequency is zero. Its image is the union of the compact images of closed balls in \(\mathbb R^2\), so \(C\) is Borel. The inverse of \(j\) on each such compact image is continuous; consequently \(j^{-1}:C\to\mathbb R^2\) is Borel. For \(a\ne0\), multiplication by \(a\) is an automorphism of \(D\) and carries \(C\) onto itself. On the frequency parameters it acts by the transpose of the real linear map of multiplication by \(a\). In particular, an element of \(K\) acts on these parameters by an orthogonal map. Definition 7. A \(K\)-invariant Borel probability measure \(\nu\) on \(D\) is called wild if \(\nu(C)=0\). Its Fourier coefficients are denoted by \[f_\nu(z)=\int_D\psi_z(d)\,d\nu(d),\qquad z\in E.\] Theorem 8 (Rigidity of wild character laws). Every \(K\)-invariant probability measure \(\nu\) on \(D\) with \(\nu(C)=0\) is Haar measure. Equivalently, writing \(m_D\) for normalized Haar measure, \[ \nu\text{ is wild}\quad\Longrightarrow\quad\nu=m_D. \tag{3}\] The Fourier coefficients of Haar probability vanish at every nonzero \(z\in E\). This is the conclusion needed in Section 4: a rotation-fixed label indicator has a \(K\)-invariant finite spectral measure, and its part off \(C\) is again invariant. If that part is nonzero, normalization allows the theorem to be applied; its correlations at every nonzero algebraic translation then vanish. The factor argument in Lemma 18 will make the \(C\)-supported projections nonnegative, with \(L^2\)-continuous translation orbits. There is a classical analogue for measurable radial positive-definite functions on the full real plane: each is the sum of a continuous positive-definite function and a nonnegative multiple of \(\mathbf 1_{\{0\}}\) (Crum 1956; Gneiting and Sasvári 1999). Here the Fourier coefficients are initially defined only on \(E\), with invariance under its algebraic rotations \(K\); no measurable radial positive-definite extension to \(\mathbb R^2\) is assumed. We prove the required rigidity directly on \(D\). The proof of the theorem is completed in Section 3. Here we first obtain null-event and line-average consequences of \(\nu(C)=0\). We then show that this condition survives when the law is replaced by the difference of two conditionally independent samples over a factor in a compact tower. Lemma 9. Let \(\nu\) be wild. Then every coset of \(C\) has \(\nu\)-measure zero, and the law of the difference of two independent \(\nu\)-samples gives \(C\) measure zero. Moreover, for each \(a\in E\setminus\{0\}\), the event \[L_a=\{d\in D:t\mapsto d(at)\text{ is continuous on }F \text{ in its usual topology}\}\] is Borel and has \(\nu\)-measure zero. Proof. If a coset \(d+C\) has positive mass, its \(K\)-orbit is finite, since the cosets in that orbit are disjoint and have the same mass. The action on this finite orbit gives a finite image of the divisible abelian group \(K\). Such an image is trivial: a finite abelian group cannot be divisible unless it is trivial. Hence every \(u\in K\) fixes the coset, and \((u-1)d\in C\). Taking \(u\ne1\) and applying the inverse scalar shows \(d\in C\), contrary to \(\nu(C)=0\). The difference assertion now follows by integrating \(\nu(d+C)=0\) against \(\nu(d)\); the relation \(d'-d\in C\) is Borel. Restriction to the line \(aF\) is a continuous map from \(D\) to \(\widehat{F_{\mathrm{disc}}}\). The ordinary continuous characters on \(F\) are exactly \(t\mapsto e^{i\lambda t}\), \(\lambda\in\mathbb R\). Their parametrization is continuous and injective, with Borel image by compact exhaustion, as for \(j\). This proves the Borel assertion for \(L_a\). If \(aF,bF\) are nonparallel, then \(a,b\) form an \(F\)-basis of \(E\). A character continuous on both lines has the form \[d(at+bs)=e^{i(\lambda t+\eta s)}\qquad(t,s\in F)\] for real \(\lambda,\eta\). The corresponding real coordinate change is invertible and continuous, so this character belongs to \(C\). Thus \(L_a\cap L_b\subset C\) for nonparallel lines. Rotations give infinitely many distinct unoriented lines \(uaF\), and their events have the same \(\nu\)-measure. Any finite collection of them is pairwise disjoint modulo \(\nu\)-null sets. Their common measure must therefore be zero. ◻ A line average without a measurability assumptionFix a translation-invariant mean \(\mathfrak m\) on the bounded functions on the discrete abelian group \(F/\mathbb Z\). Such a normalized positive mean exists by amenability of abelian groups; see Bekka et al. (2008, Theorem G.2.1). Because the group is discrete, the mean is defined on every bounded function. Invariant means and the finite-set averaging criterion originate in the work of Neumann (1929) and Følner (1955). The restriction of \(\mathfrak m\) to ordinary continuous periodic functions is integration over the usual circle. To check this, every nonconstant ordinary circle character is multiplied by a nontrivial scalar under some translation from \(F/\mathbb Z\), and hence has mean zero. Trigonometric-polynomial approximation gives the assertion for all continuous periodic functions. For a bounded function \(h:F\to\mathbb C\) supported in a bounded interval, define \[ I(h)=\mathfrak m\left(t+\mathbb Z\longmapsto \sum_{k\in\mathbb Z}h(t+k)\right). \tag{4}\] The periodization is well defined and bounded: only a uniformly bounded number of summands can be nonzero. The functional \(I\) is positive and translation invariant under \(F\). For a continuous compactly supported function \(\phi\) on \(\mathbb R\), it satisfies \[I(\phi|_F)=\int_\mathbb R\phi(t)\,dt.\] We also use \(I\) to integrate bounded, boundedly supported functions with values in a Hilbert space, in the weak sense. Scalar pairings define a bounded functional on the Hilbert space, and Hilbert-space duality gives the resulting vector. In particular, if \(V(t)\) is such a function, then \[\lVert I(V)\rVert\le I\bigl(\lVert V(t)\rVert\bigr).\] This construction does not impose ordinary real-variable measurability on \(V\) or on a Fourier coefficient restricted to \(F\). Lemma 10 (Vanishing line average). If \(\nu\) is wild, then \[ I\bigl(\phi(t)f_\nu(at)\bigr)=0 \qquad\bigl(a\in E\setminus\{0\},\ \phi\in C_c(\mathbb R)\bigr). \tag{5}\] Proof. On \(L^2(\nu)\) consider the unitary representation of the additive group \(F\) given by \[T_tv=\psi_{at}v.\] First, this representation has no nonzero vector that is strongly continuous for the usual topology on \(F\). Suppose that \(v\) is such a vector. Put \[c_v(t)=\int_D|v|^2\psi_{at}\,d\nu.\] It is positive definite and uniformly continuous on \(F\), since \[|c_v(t+s)-c_v(t)|\le\lVert v\rVert_2\lVert T_sv-v\rVert_2.\] It therefore extends continuously to \(\mathbb R\). The extension remains positive definite, by approximation of each finite set of real arguments by elements of \(F\). Apply the ordinary Bochner theorem to this continuous positive-definite function on \(\mathbb R\); see Bekka et al. (2008, Theorem D.2.2). It is important here that the coefficient has first been extended to \(\mathbb R\); no local compactness of \(F\) in its usual topology is assumed. Push its finite positive representing measure to \(\widehat{F_{\mathrm{disc}}}\) using the continuous-character parametrization. Its Fourier coefficients agree with those of the restriction-map pushforward of \(|v|^2\nu\). Uniqueness of Fourier coefficients for finite measures on the compact character group identifies these two measures. Indeed, the characters form a unital conjugation-closed algebra separating its points, so their uniform density in the continuous functions gives this uniqueness. The pushforward of \(|v|^2\nu\) is thus concentrated on the ordinary continuous characters, so \(|v|^2\nu\) is concentrated on \(L_a\). Lemma 9 gives \(\nu(L_a)=0\), and hence \(v=0\). Now form the weak integral \[V_\phi=I\bigl(\phi(t)T_t1\bigr)\in L^2(\nu).\] Translation invariance of \(I\) gives \[T_sV_\phi-V_\phi =I\bigl((\phi(t-s)-\phi(t))T_t1\bigr),\] and consequently \[\lVert T_sV_\phi-V_\phi\rVert_2 \le I(|\phi(\cdot-s)-\phi|) =\int_\mathbb R|\phi(t-s)-\phi(t)|\,dt\longrightarrow0\] as \(s\in F\) tends to zero. Thus \(V_\phi\) is strongly continuous and must be zero by the preceding argument. Pairing with the constant function proves (5). ◻ A measurable equivariant centerThe subgroup \(C\) need not be closed. We will nevertheless choose a canonical representative of a positive-mass \(C\)-coset when a probability kernel on that coset is available. The following elementary location rule avoids any moment assumption on that kernel. Lemma 11. For every Borel probability measure \(\lambda\) on \(\mathbb R^2\), the function \[ J_\lambda(s)=\int_{\mathbb R^2} \left(\sqrt{1+|s-t|^2}-\sqrt{1+|t|^2}\right)\,d\lambda(t) \tag{6}\] has a unique minimizer \(L(\lambda)\). The map \(\lambda\mapsto L(\lambda)\) is Borel for the usual Borel structure on the space of probability measures. It is equivariant under translations and orthogonal maps. Proof. The difference in (6) is bounded in absolute value by \(|s|\). The objective is therefore finite without a first-moment assumption. It is Lipschitz in \(s\) and strictly convex, because \(s\mapsto\sqrt{1+|s-t|^2}\) is strictly convex for every \(t\). Choose \(R>0\) with \(p=\lambda(\overline{B(0,R)})>1/2\). On this ball the integrand is at least \(|s|-R-\sqrt{1+R^2}\), and elsewhere it is at least \(-|s|\). Hence \[J_\lambda(s)\ge (2p-1)|s|-p\bigl(R+\sqrt{1+R^2}\bigr)\longrightarrow\infty.\] Coercivity and continuity give a minimizer, and strict convexity gives uniqueness. For each fixed \(s\), the integrand is bounded and continuous in \(t\), so \(\lambda\mapsto J_\lambda(s)\) is Borel. The infimum over rational points equals the minimum. Enumerate \(\mathbb Q^2\) and, for each positive integer \(n\), choose its first point whose objective is less than that infimum plus \(1/n\). These choices are measurable. For a fixed \(\lambda\) they converge to the unique minimizer: coercivity confines all sufficiently accurate choices to a compact set, and every cluster point minimizes \(J_\lambda\). Their limit is therefore the Borel map \(L\). If \(\lambda'\) is the law of \(t-r\) for \(t\) of law \(\lambda\), then an identity of bounded differences gives \[J_{\lambda'}(s)=J_\lambda(s+r)-J_\lambda(r).\] Thus \(L(\lambda')=L(\lambda)-r\). Orthogonal covariance follows from \(J_{O_*\lambda}(Os)=J_\lambda(s)\). These identities prove both asserted equivariances. ◻ Compact towers and relative singularityWe use standard probability spaces and probability-preserving actions of the countable group \(K\). Factors are countably generated modulo null sets. For an action write \(U_kH(x)=H(kx)\), and identify functions on a factor with their pullbacks. Conditional kernels, factor actions, and equivariant maps may be chosen on common conull sets whenever needed; the acting group is countable. We use disintegration in the following precise form. A factor map \(\pi:X\to Y\) between standard Borel probability models admits a measurable probability kernel \(y\mapsto\mu_y\), concentrated on \(\pi^{-1}(y)\) for almost every \(y\), such that \(\mu=\int\mu_y\,d\nu(y)\). The kernel gives conditional expectations by integration and is unique almost everywhere; see Tao (2008, Theorem 4 and Remark 5). For an equivariant factor map, uniqueness makes the kernel equivariant for each group element. Intersecting the corresponding conull sets makes equivariance simultaneous for the countable group \(K\). This is the fiber-measure input to all relative products below. Consider a tower \((Y_\alpha)_{\alpha\le\theta}\) of factors of an ergodic system \(X\), where \(\theta\) is a countable ordinal. Start with the trivial factor \(Y_0\), and at a limit ordinal take the factor generated by the preceding ones. Require the following approximation property at each successor \(Y\) over its predecessor \(W\): for every bounded \(H\) on \(Y\) and every \(\varepsilon>0\), there are bounded functions \(H_1,\ldots,H_q\) on \(Y\) and a finite constant \(B\) such that, for every \(k\in K\), \[ \left\|U_kH-\sum_{r=1}^q b_r^k H_r\right\|_2<\varepsilon \quad\text{for some }b_r^k\in L^\infty(W) \text{ with }\|b_r^k\|_\infty\le B. \tag{7}\] The basis functions and bounds are fixed before \(k\) is chosen. Lemma 12 (Relative singularity). Let \(X\) be an ergodic standard probability-preserving \(K\)-system, and let \(d:X\to D\) be an equivariant measurable map with wild law. For every countable tower of factors as above, and every factor \(Y\) in that tower, the law \(\nu_Y\) of \[d(x)-d(x')\] for two conditionally independent samples of \(X\) over \(Y\) satisfies \(\nu_Y(C)=0\). Proof. All relative difference laws in the statement are \(K\)-invariant, by equivariance of conditional kernels. We use transfinite induction in its universal form: at each ordinal the assertion ranges over all ambient ergodic standard systems, equivariant maps with wild law, and towers satisfying (7). This allows an earlier induction assertion to be applied below to a new factor system and a new equivariant map. At the trivial factor the assertion is Lemma 9. Suppose that it holds at every earlier ordinal, and that it fails at a noninitial stage \(Y\) of a tower in a system \(X\). Write \(\kappa_y\) for the conditional law of \(d\) over \(y\in Y\). Positive-mass cosets and their centers.The function \[r(y,z)=\kappa_y(z+C) =\int_D\mathbf 1_C(d'-z)\,d\kappa_y(d')\] is Borel in \((y,z)\), by Borel parameter integration. This uses only that \(C\) is Borel, not that it is closed. The function \(x\mapsto r(y(x),d(x))\) is invariant and has integral \(\nu_Y(C)>0\). Ergodicity makes it a positive constant \(a\) almost everywhere. For almost every \(y\), therefore, \(\kappa_y\)-almost every sampled coset has mass \(a\). Such cosets are disjoint and there are only finitely many; they exhaust the probability. Their number \(m\) satisfies \(ma=1\), and is consequently independent of \(y\). Thus \(\kappa_y\) is concentrated on \(m\) distinct cosets of mass \(1/m\) each. None is \(C\) almost surely, because the original marginal law gives \(C\) measure zero. On the Borel set \(r(y,z)>0\), define the probability kernel \(\lambda_{y,z}\) on \(\mathbb R^2\) by \[\lambda_{y,z}(A)=\frac{1}{r(y,z)} \int_D\mathbf 1_C(d'-z)\mathbf 1_A\bigl(j^{-1}(d'-z)\bigr) \,d\kappa_y(d')\] for Borel \(A\subset\mathbb R^2\), interpreting the integrand as zero off \(C\). The Borel inverse of \(j\) makes this a measurable kernel. Set \[b(y,z)=z+j\bigl(L(\lambda_{y,z})\bigr).\] If \(z\) is replaced by \(z+j(r_0)\), the kernel is translated by \(-r_0\); Lemma 11 shows that \(b(y,z)\) is unchanged. It is therefore constant on each positive-mass coset, and remains in that coset. The same lemma and the orthogonal action of \(K\) on frequency parameters show \[b(ky,kz)=k b(y,z)\] on the relevant conull sets. Let \(Z\) be the factor of \(X\) generated by \(Y\) and \(b(x)=b(y(x),d(x))\). It is a standard ergodic factor. The map \(b:Z\to D\) is equivariant and has wild law. Its conditional law \(\beta_y\) over \(Y\) is uniform on the \(m\) distinct centers of the positive-mass cosets. We have converted the hypothetical failure of singularity into a finite set of equivariant centers over each fiber. The earlier induction hypothesis and the line average will give selected real algebraic frequencies with small conditional collision probabilities on a common fiber. Compact approximation, however, will force many pairs of unit-direction phase lists to match one pair of lists. Writing each selected frequency as a sum of its two directions then places its phases near at most \(m^2\) products, forcing a larger collision probability. A finite list of phases.For each \(y\), consider the unordered list of \(m\) phases \(\psi_1\) at the points of \(\beta_y\), retaining repetitions when phases coincide. Encode this list by the vector \(H(y)\in\mathbb C^m\) of its elementary symmetric functions. The vector is measurable: its power sums are \(m\int\psi_1^n\,d\beta_y\), and Newton’s identities recover the elementary symmetric functions. It is bounded. The encoding is a continuous injection of the compact space \(\mathbb T^m/S_m\) into \(\mathbb C^m\). On unordered lists use maximum matching distance, \[d_{\mathrm{match}}([z_1,\ldots,z_m],[z'_1,\ldots,z'_m]) =\min_{\pi\in S_m}\max_{1\le r\le m}|z_r-z'_{\pi(r)}|.\] The inverse encoding is uniformly continuous for this metric. Equivariance of \(\beta_y\) and \(\psi_1(kd)=\psi_k(d)\) show that \(U_kH\) encodes the list of phases at \(\psi_k\). Choose \(\rho>0\) so small that uniform-circle probability of \(\{|z-1|\le5\rho\}\) is less than \(1/(16m^2)\). There are an integer \(N\ge1\) and a constant \(c>0\) with the following property: if a probability \(\omega\) on \(\mathbb T\) satisfies \[\left|\int z^n\,d\omega(z)\right|<c\qquad(1\le n\le N),\] then \[ \omega\{|z-1|\le4\rho\}<\frac1{4m^2}. \tag{8}\] Indeed, choose a continuous majorant of the smaller arc that takes values in \([0,1]\) and vanishes outside the larger arc. Approximate it uniformly within \(1/(64m^2)\) by a real trigonometric polynomial of degree at most \(N\). The constant coefficient is within that error of its circle integral. Choose \(c\) so that \(c\) times the sum of the absolute values of its nonconstant coefficients is less than \(1/(32m^2)\). The integral against \(\omega\) of the majorant is then less than \(1/(8m^2)\), which proves (8). Negative moments are controlled by the positive ones because \(\omega\) is a positive measure. Choose \(s>0\) such that two encoding vectors at distance less than \(s\) have phase lists matching within \(\rho\). Put \(\tau=s/100\), and fix \(\gamma>0\) such that \[ \frac{2\gamma^2}{\tau^2}<10^{-4}. \tag{9}\] Return to an earlier factor.The rotations of \(H\) admit vector-valued approximations of the form \[ \left\|U_kH-\sum_{r=1}^q b_r^k H_r\right\|_2<\gamma, \qquad \|b_r^k\|_\infty\le B, \tag{10}\] with fixed bounded \(\mathbb C^m\)-valued functions \(H_r\) on \(Y\) and coefficients over some earlier factor \(W\). At a successor this follows from (7), applied to the finitely many coordinates and combining their data. At a limit, first approximate \(H\) in \(L^2\), within \(\gamma/2\), by bounded functions on an earlier successor factor. Such approximation follows from generation of the limit factor, for example by conditional expectations. Its error remains unchanged under rotation. Then use (7) at that successor, with its predecessor as \(W\), to obtain a further error less than \(\gamma/2\). Combining coordinates gives (10). The coordinate count, number of basis functions, their uniform bounds, and \(B\) are all fixed independently of \(k\). The earlier tower through \(W\) is also a tower of factors of \(Z\): \(Z\) contains \(Y\) and hence every predecessor of \(Y\). All measures, actions, limit joins, and approximation properties of those factors are unchanged. The universal earlier induction assertion therefore applies in \(Z\) to the map \(b\). It says that the difference law of \(b\) over \(W\) is wild. Its Fourier coefficient at \(a\in E\) is \[ p(a)=\left\|\mathbb E_Z(\psi_a(b)\mid W)\right\|_2^2\ge0, \tag{11}\] by conditional independence. Lemma 10 applies to this coefficient function. Fixing the number of tests before choosing a small parameter.At any fixed fiber of \(W\), the two coefficient arrays for two approximations in (10) belong to a fixed bounded subset of \(\mathbb C^{2q}\). Partition this subset into a finite number \(L\) of bins so fine that, within one bin, the corresponding approximating functions differ pointwise by at most \(\tau\) for each of the two vectors. For example, coordinate diameters less than \[\frac{\tau}{1+\sum_{r=1}^q\|H_r\|_\infty}\] suffice. The number \(L\) is independent of the fiber and of the chosen rotations. Fix an integer \(M\ge2\) so large that \[\frac{0.9M}{L}>10m^2.\] All approximation data have been fixed before this choice. There is a nonzero \(t\in F\) with \(|t|<1/M\) for which every value \[p\bigl(n(j-l)t\bigr),\qquad 1\le n\le N,\quad 1\le j,l\le M,\quad j\ne l,\] is as small as we prescribe. To see this, choose a nonnegative \(\phi\in C_c((-1/M,1/M))\) with positive integral. Each indicated nonnegative test has zero \(\phi\)-weighted \(I\)-integral by (5). Their finite sum does too. If that sum were bounded below by a prescribed positive number at every point where \(\phi>0\), positivity of \(I\) would contradict \(I(\phi)>0\). Thus some such point makes their sum, and hence every test, as small as required. Choosing this bound below one also ensures \(t\ne0\), since \(p(0)=1\). Set \(x_j=jt\). Choose the prescribed smallness so that Markov’s inequality and a finite union bound give, on a set of \(W\)-probability greater than \(0.99\), all of the bounds \[\left|\mathbb E_Z\bigl(\psi_{n(x_j-x_l)}(b)\mid W=w\bigr)\right|<c \qquad(1\le n\le N,\ j<l).\] More explicitly, the probability of failure of any one bound is at most \(p(n(x_j-x_l))/c^2\), by (11); there are finitely many bounds. Apply (8) to the conditional law of \(\psi_{x_j-x_l}(b)\). On the same set of fibers, \[ \mathbb P_Z\bigl( |\psi_{x_j}(b)-\psi_{x_l}(b)|\le4\rho\mid W=w \bigr)<\frac1{4m^2} \qquad(1\le j<l\le M). \tag{12}\] A common coefficient bin on a good fiber.Each \(|x_j|<1\) is a sum of two elements of \(K\). One explicit choice is \[k_j=\frac{x_j}{2}+i\sqrt{1-\frac{x_j^2}{4}},\qquad k'_j=\frac{x_j}{2}-i\sqrt{1-\frac{x_j^2}{4}}.\] The square roots belong to \(F\), and \(x_j=k_j+k'_j\). Apply the fixed approximations (10) to \(U_{k_j}H\) and \(U_{k'_j}H\) for every \(j\). Let \(e_j^+(w),e_j^-(w)\) be the respective conditional squared \(L^2\) errors on the fiber of \(Y\) over \(w\). Their global integrals are less than \(\gamma^2\). If at least \(0.1M\) indices fail to have both conditional \(L^2\) errors less than \(\tau\), then \[\frac1M\sum_{j=1}^M(e_j^+(w)+e_j^-(w))\ge0.1\tau^2.\] Markov’s inequality and (9) bound the probability of this event by \[\frac{20\gamma^2}{\tau^2}<0.001.\] In particular, on a set of fibers of probability greater than \(0.99\), more than \(0.9M\) indices have both conditional errors less than \(\tau\). Fix a fiber \(w\) satisfying this property and all of (12), and avoid the null sets for the finitely many identities and bounds used here. Bin the two coefficient arrays at this \(w\) as above. There is a subset \(J\) of the good indices in a single bin with \(|J|>10m^2\). Fix \(j_0\in J\). For either type of encoding the conditional \(L^2\) distance from index \(j\) to index \(j_0\) is at most \(3\tau\): the two approximation errors each cost less than \(\tau\), and the approximants differ pointwise by at most \(\tau\). For a uniform \(j\in J\) and a conditional point \(y\) over \(w\), the probability that either encoding distance is at least \(s\) is at most \[\frac{18\tau^2}{s^2}=0.0018.\] Thus, with probability greater than \(0.95\), both phase lists for index \(j\) match their respective representative lists for \(j_0\) within \(\rho\). Let \(q(y)\) be the fraction of indices in \(J\) for which both matches hold. We have \[ \mathbb E(q\mid W=w)>0.95. \tag{13}\] The collision contradiction.Fix such a fiber point \(y\) and any point \(b_0\) in the support of \(\beta_y\). For every matching index \(j\), the two phases \(\psi_{k_j}(b_0)\) and \(\psi_{k'_j}(b_0)\) are within \(\rho\) of entries of their respective representative lists. Consequently \[\psi_{x_j}(b_0)=\psi_{k_j}(b_0)\psi_{k'_j}(b_0)\] is within \(2\rho\) of one of the at most \(m^2\) products of entries from those two lists. The matchings need not identify the same center in the two lists; allowing all \(m^2\) products accounts for this. Assign each of the \(q(y)|J|\) matching indices to one such product. By the sum-of-squares inequality, the number of ordered pairs assigned to the same product is at least \(q(y)^2|J|^2/m^2\). Removing diagonal pairs discards at most \(|J|\) pairs. Hence, for independent uniform \(j,l\in J\), \[\mathbb P_{j,l}\bigl(j\ne l,\ |\psi_{x_j}(b_0)-\psi_{x_l}(b_0)|\le4\rho\bigr) \ge\frac{q(y)^2}{m^2}-\frac1{|J|}.\] This bound holds for every possible center \(b_0\), so it can be integrated first over \(\beta_y\) and then over the conditional law of \(y\) given \(w\). Jensen’s inequality and (13) give a lower bound strictly greater than \[\frac{0.95^2}{m^2}-\frac1{|J|} >\frac{0.95^2-0.1}{m^2} >\frac1{4m^2}.\] But (12) bounds the conditional collision probability for every distinct pair in the original set of \(M\) indices by \(1/(4m^2)\). Averaging those bounds over the selected \(J\) gives an upper bound smaller than \(1/(4m^2)\). Choosing \(J\) after fixing \(w\) is harmless because all those pair bounds hold simultaneously at that fiber. This contradiction completes the induction step, and hence the universal transfinite induction. ◻ Compact factors, multiple averages, and Haar rigidityWe complete the proof of Theorem 8. The first step constructs a factor to which Lemma 12 applies and above which conditional correlations decouple. Two identities among algebraic unit directions then turn this decoupling into a difference inequality for a radial function. A finite number-field argument forces that function to vanish away from zero. Throughout this section a relative product uses conditional independence over the indicated factor. If \(\pi:X\to Y\) is a factor map and \(\mu=\int\mu_y\,d\nu(y)\) is its disintegration, its relative product has measure \[\mu\mathbin{\times_Y}\mu =\int \mu_y\otimes\mu_y\,d\nu(y)\] on \(X\times_YX\). The action on this product is diagonal. All factors are understood modulo null sets; countability of \(K\) permits all the countably many equivariance identities to be imposed simultaneously. A compact-factor towerThe following construction is the compact/relative-weak-mixing part of the Furstenberg–Zimmer structure theorem and relative dichotomy (Furstenberg 1977; Zimmer 1976b, 1976a; Jamneshan 2023, 2026). The passage from invariant Hilbert–Schmidt kernels to finite-rank modules, and the boundedness of their bases in the ergodic case, appear in Furstenberg (1977, Lemmas 6.6 and 7.2). We give the fiberwise proof because the particular approximation property (7) is needed here. Lemma 13 (Compact tower). Let \(X\) be an ergodic standard probability-preserving \(K\)-system. There is a countable ordinal \(\eta\) and an increasing tower of factors \((Y_\alpha)_{\alpha\leq\eta}\) with the following properties:
Proof. We first construct a strict extension \(Y'\) of any factor \(Y\) whose relative product is not ergodic. An invariant kernel on that product will provide an equivariant finite-rank space on almost every fiber. Its bounded basis generates \(Y'\) and supplies the approximation property (7). We then iterate this enlargement. Suppose that \(Y\) has already been constructed and that \(X\times_YX\) is not ergodic. Choose a bounded invariant nonconstant kernel \(L(x,x')\) on this relative product. Its conditional expectations onto either coordinate are invariant functions on \(X\), so both are the constant \(\int L\,d(\mu\mathbin{\times_Y}\mu)\). Subtract this constant. The result is still nonzero, and its two coordinate conditional expectations are zero. For almost every \(y\), let \(A_y\) be the integral operator with kernel \(L\) on the fiber Hilbert space \(\mathcal H_y=L^2(\mu_y)\). These are Hilbert–Schmidt operators, with \[\lVert A_y\rVert_{\mathrm{HS}}\leq\lVert L\rVert_\infty, \qquad A_y1=A_y^*1=0.\] Invariance of the kernel makes the operator field equivariant under the unitary maps between fibers. For a sufficiently small fixed \(\delta>0\), the spectral projection \[Q_y=\mathbf 1_{(\delta,\infty)}(A_y^*A_y)\] is nonzero on a positive-measure set of fibers. Its rank is finite and bounded above by \(\lVert L\rVert_\infty^2/\delta\). The rank is invariant on \(Y\), and \(Y\) is ergodic as a factor of \(X\). It is therefore a constant integer \(d\geq1\) almost everywhere. The range of \(Q_y\) is orthogonal to the fiber constants. Here are the measurability details for this construction. Work with standard Borel models and fiber-supported conditional probabilities. Choose a countable algebra generating the Borel structure of \(X\) and its simple functions with complex-rational coefficients. Their restrictions are dense in each \(L^2(\mu_y)\). Conditional integration against the bounded kernel represents the images of these sections under \(A_y\) and \(A_y^*\) by measurable functions on \(X\); the same holds for polynomials in \(A_y^*A_y\). On their common bounded spectral interval, there are uniformly bounded polynomials converging pointwise to \(\mathbf 1_{(\delta,\infty)}\): first choose bounded continuous approximations to this indicator, with value zero at \(\delta\), and then uniformly approximate them by polynomials. Spectral calculus gives convergence in each fiber Hilbert norm. Domination gives convergence in global \(L^2(X)\) as well. A subsequence converges in fiber norm for almost every \(y\), identifying the global limit with the projected section. Thus the projected dense sections are measurable. Their fiber scalar products make rank and linear-independence tests measurable. Selecting the first available independent section at each step and applying fiberwise Gram–Schmidt gives measurable fiber-orthonormal sections \(e_1,\ldots,e_d\) spanning the range of \(Q_y\). For each \(k\in K\) the sections \(U_ke_i\) differ from the \(e_i\) by a unitary coefficient matrix over \(Y\). Consequently \(\sum_{i=1}^d|e_i(x)|^2\) is invariant on \(X\). Its integral is \(d\), so ergodicity gives \[ \sum_{i=1}^d|e_i(x)|^2=d\quad\text{almost everywhere}. \tag{14}\] In particular, the sections are bounded. Adjoin them to \(Y\) to generate an invariant factor \(Y'\). This is a strict extension: every \(e_i\) has conditional mean zero over \(Y\) and has unit fiber norm, and hence is not \(Y\)-measurable. Bounded polynomials in the \(e_i,\bar e_i\), with bounded coefficients from \(Y\), are dense in \(L^2(Y')\). Indeed these functions form a bounded unital conjugation-closed algebra generating \(Y'\), and approximation first by functions of finitely many generators and then by polynomials gives the density. A rotation of a fixed polynomial expands into finitely many fixed bounded monomials in the \(e_i,\bar e_i\). Its coefficients are functions on \(Y\), uniformly bounded independently of the rotation: the original coefficient sup norms are preserved, and the entries of the unitary matrices have modulus at most one. For a bounded \(H\) on \(Y'\), choose one polynomial approximation in \(L^2\). Rotating preserves its approximation error. The finite expansion of the rotated polynomial proves (7) for \(Y'\to Y\). Starting at the trivial factor, repeat this step whenever the relative product is not ergodic, and take generated joins at limit ordinals. Every countable stage is a standard factor modulo null sets. The process stops at a countable ordinal. Otherwise, at every successor through all countable ordinals, choose a unit vector in the new factor orthogonal to the preceding factor. Nestedness makes these vectors pairwise orthogonal. There would be \(\aleph_1\) such vectors, contradicting separability of \(L^2(X)\). At the stopping stage the relative product is ergodic by the stopping rule. ◻ Conditional multiple averagesA Følner sequence in \(K\) means nonempty finite sets \(\Phi_N\subset K\) such that \[\frac{|h\Phi_N\mathbin{\triangle}\Phi_N|}{|\Phi_N|}\longrightarrow0 \qquad(h\in K).\] Such sequences exist because \(K\) is countable abelian. Write \(\operatorname{Avg}_{u\in\Phi}b_u=|\Phi|^{-1}\sum_{u\in\Phi}b_u\). Every average below is a finite-set average in this discrete group. We use the Hilbert-space mean ergodic theorem in its every-Følner form. For a unitary representation \(V\) of \(K\), these averages converge strongly to the invariant projection along every Følner sequence. For completeness, the orthogonal complement of the invariant vectors is the closed span of vectors \(V_hv-v\). The average of such a vector has norm at most \(|h\Phi_N\triangle\Phi_N|\lVert v\rVert/|\Phi_N|\), and density proves the claim. In particular, the representation \(u\mapsto U_{u^d}\), for \(d\in\mathbb Z\setminus\{0\}\), has the same invariant vectors as \(U\), because the power map \(u\mapsto u^d\) is onto. No assertion about unweighted images of Følner sets under a power map is needed. The proof below uses the relative weak-mixing induction for multiple averages, with a Hilbert-space van der Corput estimate; compare Furstenberg (1977). We give the argument for the power maps of \(K\) along every Følner sequence, since both features are used below. Lemma 14 (Conditional multiple averages). Suppose that \(X\) is an ergodic standard probability-preserving \(K\)-system, that \(Y\) is an invariant factor, and that \(X\times_YX\) is ergodic. Let \(P=\mathbb E(\,\cdot\mid Y)\). For pairwise distinct integers \(n_1,\ldots,n_l\) and bounded functions \(v_1,\ldots,v_l\) on \(X\), \[ \operatorname{Avg}_{u\in\Phi_N} \left\|P\left(\prod_{j=1}^lU_{u^{n_j}}v_j\right) -\prod_{j=1}^lU_{u^{n_j}}Pv_j\right\|_2^2 \longrightarrow0 \tag{15}\] along every Følner sequence \((\Phi_N)\) in \(K\). The pair criterion used in the proof is, for bounded \(v,w\) and \(d\ne0\), \[ \operatorname{Avg}_{u\in\Phi_N} \lVert P(vU_{u^d}w)-Pv\,U_{u^d}Pw\rVert_2^2\longrightarrow0. \tag{16}\] Proof. Put \(\mathcal R=X\times_YX\) and denote its conditional expectation onto \(Y\) by \(P_{\mathcal R}\). First prove (16). With \(v_0=v-Pv\) and \(w_0=w-Pw\), its difference equals \(P(v_0U_{u^d}w_0)\). Conditional independence gives \[ \lVert P(v_0U_{u^d}w_0)\rVert_2^2 =\int_{\mathcal R}(v_0\otimes\bar v_0) U_{u^d}(w_0\otimes\bar w_0)\,d\mu_{\mathcal R}. \tag{17}\] The integral of \(w_0\otimes\bar w_0\) is \(\int_Y|Pw_0|^2\,d\nu=0\). The mean ergodic theorem on the ergodic system \(\mathcal R\), applied through the surjective power map, makes the average of the right side tend to zero. This proves the pair criterion along every Følner sequence. The same criterion holds on \(\mathcal R\) over \(Y\). To see this first for simple tensors \(v=a_1\otimes a_2\) and \(w=b_1\otimes b_2\), use \[P_{\mathcal R}(vU_{u^d}w) =P(a_1U_{u^d}b_1)P(a_2U_{u^d}b_2).\] Subtract the analogous product of the factor parts. The difference is a sum of two terms, each containing one error from (16) on \(X\) and one uniformly bounded factor. Its averaged squared \(L^2(Y)\) norm therefore tends to zero. Linearity gives the result for finite sums of tensors. Such sums can approximate any bounded function on \(\mathcal R\) in \(L^2\), with a common sup bound: use conditional expectations onto finite partitions generated by rectangles in the two coordinates. Approximate one of \(v,w\) at a time; conditional-expectation contraction and measure preservation bound the error uniformly in \(u\). The pair criterion follows for all bounded functions on \(\mathcal R\). We next prove the following vector assertion on either \(X\) or \(\mathcal R\). On either system use \(P\) for its expectation onto \(Y\). If \(n_1,\ldots,n_l\) are distinct nonzero integers, the \(v_j\) are bounded, and \(Pv_{j_*}=0\) for some \(j_*\), then \[ \left\|\operatorname{Avg}_{u\in\Phi_N} \prod_{j=1}^lU_{u^{n_j}}v_j\right\|_2\longrightarrow0 \tag{18}\] for every Følner sequence. Both systems are ergodic and satisfy the pair criterion, so the same induction proves the assertion on each. By rescaling we may assume \(\lVert v_j\rVert_\infty\leq1\). For \(l=1\), the assertion is mean ergodicity and \(\int v_1=\int Pv_1=0\). Suppose it is proved for \(l-1\), and set \[V_u=\prod_{j=1}^lU_{u^{n_j}}v_j, \qquad F_{j,h}=U_{h^{n_j}}v_j\,\bar v_j\quad(h\in K).\] For each fixed \(h\), invariance of the integral gives \[\begin{align*} \int V_{hu}\overline{V_u}\,d\mu &=\int\prod_{j=1}^lU_{u^{n_j}}F_{j,h}\,d\mu\\ &=\int F_{l,h}\prod_{j<l}U_{u^{n_j-n_l}}F_{j,h}\,d\mu. \tag{19}\end{align*}\] The \(l-1\) shifted exponents in the last expression are distinct and nonzero. Expand each shifted \(F_{j,h}\) into \(PF_{j,h}\) and its centered remainder. The induction hypothesis makes the average of every term with a centered shifted factor tend to zero in \(L^2\); multiplying by the fixed bounded \(F_{l,h}\) does not affect that conclusion after integration. The remaining shifted product is \(Y\)-measurable, so the unshifted \(F_{l,h}\) may also be replaced by \(PF_{l,h}\) inside its integral. All the conditional factors are bounded by one. Hence, for every Følner sequence, \[ \limsup_{N\to\infty} \left|\operatorname{Avg}_{u\in\Phi_N} \int V_{hu}\overline{V_u}\,d\mu\right| \leq a(h), \qquad a(h)=\lVert PF_{j_*,h}\rVert_2. \tag{20}\] This bound also covers \(j_*=l\): bound that unshifted factor in \(L^1\), then in \(L^2\), and the others in \(L^\infty\). If \(j_*<l\), use the same bound on its shifted factor and measure preservation. The centered factor is therefore not lost by moving one exponent to zero. The pair criterion with \(v=\bar v_{j_*}\), \(w=v_{j_*}\), and \(d=n_{j_*}\ne0\) shows that averages of \(a(h)^2\) tend to zero along every Følner sequence; the same is true of \(a(h)\) by Cauchy–Schwarz. If \((\Psi_M)\) is any chosen Følner sequence, it follows that \[ \sup_{t\in K}\operatorname{Avg}_{h\in\Psi_M}a(ht) \longrightarrow0. \tag{21}\] Indeed, a subsequence of bad translates would itself be a Følner sequence, because \(K\) is abelian, contradicting the every-sequence vanishing just proved. To finish the induction, fix a finite nonempty shift set \(S\subset K\). The difference between the averages of \(V_u\) and of \(|S|^{-1}\sum_{h\in S}V_{hu}\) tends to zero in norm by the Følner property. Jensen’s inequality and expansion in pairs of shifts give \[\begin{align*} \limsup_{N\to\infty} \left\|\operatorname{Avg}_{u\in\Phi_N}V_u\right\|_2^2 &\leq\frac1{|S|^2}\sum_{h,h'\in S} \limsup_{N\to\infty} \left|\operatorname{Avg}_{u\in\Phi_N} \int V_{hu}\overline{V_{h'u}}\,d\mu\right|\\ &\leq\frac1{|S|^2}\sum_{h,h'\in S}a(h(h')^{-1}). \end{align*}\] For the second inequality substitute \(u'=h'u\) and apply (20) along the translated Følner sequence. Now take \(S=\Psi_M\). The last expression is bounded by \(\sup_t\operatorname{Avg}_{h\in\Psi_M}a(ht)\) and tends to zero by (21). The limits are taken first in \(N\) for fixed finite \(S\), and only then in \(M\). This proves (18). Finally, expand the product in (15) by writing each \(v_j=Pv_j+(v_j-Pv_j)\). Consider a term \(W_u=\prod_jU_{u^{n_j}}w_j\) with at least one \(Pw_j=0\). Conditional independence gives \[ \lVert PW_u\rVert_2^2 =\int_{\mathcal R}\prod_j U_{u^{n_j}}(w_j\otimes\bar w_j)\,d\mu_{\mathcal R}. \tag{22}\] The corresponding tensor is centered over \(Y\), since \(P_{\mathcal R}(w_j\otimes\bar w_j)=|Pw_j|^2\). In this scalar integral we may add one common integer to all exponents, by measure preservation, and choose it so that none of them is zero. Apply (18) on \(\mathcal R\). The average of (22) tends to zero. There are finitely many centered terms, so the squared norm of their sum has vanishing average as well. The term with no centered factor is already \(Y\)-measurable and equals the product of projections in (15). This proves the lemma. ◻ The radial difference inequalityFix an ergodic wild \(K\)-invariant probability \(\mu\) on \(D\). Apply Lemma 13 to the system \((D,\mu)\), and let \(Y\) be its terminal factor. Lemma 12, applied to the identity map of \(D\), says that the conditional difference law \(\nu_Y\) over this factor is wild. Set \[ P=\mathbb E(\,\cdot\mid Y),\qquad g_z=P\psi_z,\qquad m(z)=\lVert g_z\rVert_2^2\quad(z\in E). \tag{23}\] Conditional independence identifies its Fourier transform as \[ \int_D\psi_z\,d\nu_Y=m(z). \tag{24}\] In particular \(0\leq m(z)\leq1\), \(m(0)=1\), and Lemma 10 gives (5) with \(f_{\nu_Y}=m\). Conditional expectation commutes with the action, so \(g_{uz}=U_ug_z\) and \(m(uz)=m(z)\) for \(u\in K\). Equal nonzero moduli in \(E\) differ by an element of \(K\). Thus \(m\) is radial; its radii lie in \(F_{\geq0}\), and we write \(m(r)\) on that set. Also \(g_{-z}=\bar g_z\) and \(\lVert g_z\rVert_\infty\leq1\). Lemma 15 (Radial identities). For \(w(r)=-\log m(r)\in[0,\infty]\), with \(-\log0=\infty\), one has \[ w(|A-B|)\leq w(A)+w(B)\qquad(A,B\in F_{\geq0}). \tag{25}\] For every \(r\in F\) with \(r>0\) and every Følner sequence in \(K\), \[ \operatorname{Avg}_{u\in\Phi_N}m(2r|\operatorname{Re}u|) \longrightarrow m(r)^2. \tag{26}\] Proof. First take \(A,B>0\) and put \(L=\sqrt{AB}\in F\). For every \(u\in K\), \[ |A-Bu^2|^2 =(A-B)^2+4AB(\operatorname{Im}u)^2 =|-L+(A-B)u+Lu^2|^2. \tag{27}\] For the second equality, factor the last expression as \(u((A-B)+L(u-u^{-1}))\) and use \(u-u^{-1}=2i\operatorname{Im}u\). On the first side, \(\psi_{A-Bu^2}=\psi_AU_{u^2}\psi_{-B}\). By (15) the projection of this product may be replaced, in averaged squared \(L^2\) error, by \(g_AU_{u^2}g_{-B}\). Both have \(L^2\) norm at most one, so their squared norms differ in averaged absolute value by a quantity tending to zero. Indeed the absolute difference is at most twice their \(L^2\) distance, and then Cauchy–Schwarz applies to the finite average. Ergodicity of \(Y\) and surjectivity of the square map now give \[\begin{align*} \operatorname{Avg}_{u\in\Phi_N}m(A-Bu^2) &\longrightarrow \left(\int_Y|g_A|^2\,d\nu\right) \left(\int_Y|g_{-B}|^2\,d\nu\right)\\ &=m(A)m(B). \tag{28}\end{align*}\] Here the intervening squared norm is \(\int_Y|g_A|^2U_{u^2}|g_{-B}|^2\,d\nu\). On the second side of (27), apply (15) with exponents \(0,1,2\). The projected character is approximated by \[g_{-L}\,U_ug_{A-B}\,U_{u^2}g_L.\] Its squared norm is at most \(\lVert g_{A-B}\rVert_2^2=m(|A-B|)\), since the two outside factors have modulus at most one. Equal moduli give equal \(m\)-values, so (28) implies \(m(A)m(B)\leq m(|A-B|)\). Taking negative logarithms proves (25), including zero values of \(m\) with the stated extended-real convention. If \(A=0\) or \(B=0\), the inequality is an identity because \(w(0)=0\). For (26), use \(ru+r\bar u=2r\operatorname{Re}u\) and the distinct exponents \(1,-1\). The same approximation reduces the average to squared norms of \(U_ug_r\,U_{u^{-1}}g_r\). Those squared norms equal \[\int_Y|g_r|^2U_{u^{-2}}|g_r|^2\,d\nu.\] Mean ergodicity on \(Y\) through the surjective power map \(u\mapsto u^{-2}\) gives the limit \(m(r)^2\). Radiality replaces the real argument by its absolute value, proving (26). ◻ General-position rotations and bounded residuesThe remaining task is to show that \(m(r)=0\) for every positive \(r\in F\). Assuming instead that \(m(r)>0\), we will obtain a uniform lower bound \(m(s)\ge c>0\) on some interval \((0,\varepsilon)\cap F\), contradicting the vanishing line average. By (26), a suitable set of rotations with bounded \(w(2r|\operatorname{Re}u|)\) has finitely many translates covering \(K\). The first lemma below provides rotations in rational general position from which the proof will extract bases. The second controls the resulting integer combinations of nonnegative lengths under a fixed cap, using only the difference inequality (25). Lemma 16 (General position in a number field). Let \(N_0\subset F\) be a number field, let \(N=N_0(i)\), and let \(d_0=[N:\mathbb Q]\). There are arbitrarily large finite sets \(S\subset K\cap N\) such that every \(d_0\) distinct elements of \(S\) form a \(\mathbb Q\)-basis of \(N\). Proof. For \(t\in N_0\) put \[u(t)=\frac{1+it}{1-it}\in K\cap N.\] Choose a \(\mathbb Q\)-basis of \(N_0\). In the rational coordinates of \(t\), the coordinates of \(u(t)\) in a \(\mathbb Q\)-basis of \(N\) are rational functions over \(\mathbb Q\). This follows, for example, by inverting the matrix for multiplication by \(1-it\). Its denominator is nonzero for all parameters in \(N_0\), since \(t\) is real. No nonzero \(\mathbb Q\)-linear functional \(\ell:N\to\mathbb Q\) vanishes on all \(u(t)\). Suppose one did. For every fixed \(a\in N_0\), the rational function \(\ell(u(ha))\) vanishes at every rational \(h\), and hence is identically zero. Its formal expansion at \(h=0\) comes from \[u(ha)=1+2iha-2h^2a^2+\cdots.\] The first three coefficients imply \(\ell(1)=\ell(ia)=\ell(a^2)=0\) for every \(a\in N_0\). Squares span \(N_0\) over \(\mathbb Q\), as \(4a=(a+1)^2-(a-1)^2\). Thus \(\ell\) vanishes on \(N_0+iN_0=N\), a contradiction. This is a calculation in rational function coordinates and formal series; it uses no usual-topology continuity of \(\ell\). For any proper rational subspace of \(N\), choose a nonzero rational linear functional annihilating it. Its value on \(u(t)\) has a nonzero numerator polynomial in the rational coordinates of \(t\). A finite union of such proper subspaces therefore cannot contain all \(u(t)\): the product of their nonzero numerator polynomials is nonzero, and a nonzero polynomial over the infinite field \(\mathbb Q\) cannot vanish on all of rational affine space. Inductively choose each new element outside the spans of all subsets of at most \(d_0-1\) earlier elements. Every subset of at most \(d_0\) chosen elements remains independent. This constructs finite sets of every required size. ◻ Lemma 17 (Addition under a cap). Let \(w:F_{\geq0}\to[0,\infty]\) satisfy \(w(0)=0\) and (25). Let \(p_1,\ldots,p_q\in F_{\geq0}\) with \(p=\max_jp_j>0\) and \(w(p_j)\leq H<\infty\). If \[z=\sum_{j=1}^q a_jp_j\in[0,p),\qquad a_j\in\mathbb Z,\qquad\sum_j|a_j|\leq M,\] then \(w(z)\leq4MH\). Proof. Keep every partial sum as its residue in \([0,p)\). A positive input \(p_j<p\) has cost at most \(H\), while the input \(p\) has zero residue. The inverse of a nonzero residue \(b\) is \(p-b\) and satisfies \(w(p-b)\leq w(p)+w(b)\). Thus each signed input \(\pm p_j\) has a residue of cost at most \(2H\); the zero cases cause no difficulty. For two current residues \(a,b\in[0,p)\), if \(a+b<p\), use three successive applications of the difference inequality: \[\begin{align*} w(a+b) &=w\bigl(p-((p-a)-b)\bigr)\\ &\leq w(p)+w((p-a)-b)\\ &\leq w(p)+w(p-a)+w(b)\\ &\leq2w(p)+w(a)+w(b). \end{align*}\] All arguments are nonnegative. If \(a+b>p\), the new residue is \(a-(p-b)\), whose cost is at most \(w(a)+w(p)+w(b)\). If \(a+b=p\), its cost is zero. Adding a signed input therefore increases the current cost by at most \(4H\). Expand the integer combination into at most \(M\) signed inputs and start from residue zero. Its final residue is \(z\) itself, proving the bound. ◻ Completion of the rigidity theoremProof of Theorem 8. First let \(\mu\) be ergodic and wild, and use the factor and radial function constructed above. Suppose that \(m(r)>0\) for some \(r\in F\), \(r>0\). Choose \(H>0\) finite so that \(e^{-H}<m(r)^2\). The set \[A_0=\{u\in K:w(2r|\operatorname{Re}u|)\leq H\}\] is syndetic. Indeed, if no finite translates cover \(K\), then for every finite \(S\subset K\) some translate \(Sv\) avoids \(A_0\). Apply this to the sets of a Følner sequence and choose the avoiding translate separately for each set. Those translates still form a Følner sequence, whereas all their averaged \(m\)-values are at most \(e^{-H}\). This contradicts (26). Hence there are \(q_1,\ldots,q_J\in K\) such that \[ \text{for every }v\in K\text{, some }q_jv\text{ belongs to }A_0. \tag{29}\] Choose a number field \(N_0\subset F\) containing the real and imaginary parts of every \(q_j\), and put \(N=N_0(i)\) and \(d_0=[N:\mathbb Q]\). Lemma 16 supplies a finite \(S\subset K\cap N\) of size greater than \(J(d_0-1)\) in rational linear general position. For each \(v\in K\), apply (29) to all the points \(sv\), \(s\in S\). Pigeonhole gives an index \(j\) and \(d_0\) elements \(s\) for which \(q_jsv\in A_0\). Their coefficients \(k=q_js\) form a \(\mathbb Q\)-basis of \(N\), since multiplication by \(q_j\) is an invertible \(\mathbb Q\)-linear map. Call such a basis a good selection for \(v\). There are only finitely many possible selections. Clearing the rational denominators in the basis expression of \(1\), choose one positive integer \(D_0\) such that, for each possible selection \(\mathcal T\), \[ D_0\,1=\sum_{k\in\mathcal T}a_k k, \qquad a_k\in\mathbb Z,\qquad \sum_{k\in\mathcal T}|a_k|\leq M_0, \tag{30}\] where the finite bound \(M_0\) is common to all selections. There is also a common \(c_0>0\) such that \[ \max_{k\in\mathcal T}|\operatorname{Re}(kv)|\geq c_0 \qquad(v\in\mathbb T) \tag{31}\] for every selection. To prove this, for a fixed selection the maximum is a continuous function of the ordinary unit direction \(v\). It never vanishes: the rational span of the selection contains \(1\) and \(i\), so vanishing would imply both \(\operatorname{Re}v=0\) and \(\operatorname{Re}(iv)=0\). Take a positive minimum on the compact unit circle and then the minimum over the finitely many selections. We may and do take \(c_0\leq1\). Now let \(v\in K\) satisfy \(|\operatorname{Re}v|<c_0/D_0\), and choose a good selection \(\mathcal T\) for it. Its nonnegative numbers \[p_k=2r|\operatorname{Re}(kv)|\quad(k\in\mathcal T), \qquad p=\max_{k\in\mathcal T}p_k\] satisfy \(w(p_k)\leq H\) and \(p\geq2rc_0\). Taking real parts of (30), and inserting the signs of the real parts and then the overall sign, expresses \[z=2rD_0|\operatorname{Re}v|<p\] as an integer combination of the \(p_k\) with coefficient length at most \(M_0\). All these numbers lie in \(F\). Lemma 17 therefore gives \[ w(2rD_0|\operatorname{Re}v|)\leq4M_0H \qquad\left(v\in K,\ |\operatorname{Re}v|<c_0/D_0\right). \tag{32}\] Every \(t\in F\cap[-1,1]\) is the real part of an element of \(K\), namely \(t+i\sqrt{1-t^2}\). For every \(s\in F\cap(0,2rc_0)\) apply (32) with \(t=s/(2rD_0)\). It follows that \[m(s)\geq e^{-4M_0H}>0 \qquad\bigl(s\in F\cap(0,2rc_0)\bigr).\] Choose a nonnegative \(\phi\in C_c(\mathbb R)\) supported in this open interval with positive integral. Positivity of the functional \(I\) and its agreement with Lebesgue integration on continuous test functions give \[I\bigl(\phi(t)m(t)\bigr) \geq e^{-4M_0H}I(\phi) =e^{-4M_0H}\int_\mathbb R\phi(t)\,dt>0.\] This contradicts (5) for the wild law \(\nu_Y\), with \(a=1\), in view of (24). This step uses no ordinary-measure measurability of the radial function: \(I\) is defined on all the bounded, boundedly supported functions in question. Thus \(m(r)=0\) for every positive \(r\in F\), and radiality gives \(m(z)=0\) for all nonzero \(z\in E\). Consequently \[\left|\int_D\psi_z\,d\mu\right| =\left|\int_Yg_z\,d\nu\right| \leq\lVert g_z\rVert_2=0\qquad(z\ne0).\] Fourier uniqueness on the compact abelian group \(D\) identifies \(\mu\) with Haar probability. Finally, an arbitrary wild invariant probability has an ergodic decomposition for the countable group \(K\) on the standard compact space \(D\). Since \(C\) is invariant Borel and has measure zero, almost every ergodic component also gives \(C\) measure zero. The ergodic case just proved makes each such component Haar probability. Their integral is therefore Haar probability as well. This proves the theorem. ◻ Transfer between proper and weak measurable coloringsWe prove Theorem 3 for every positive integer \(k\). Starting from an arbitrary proper coloring, we first average its translations and rotations on the algebraic plane. The resulting probability space carries label indicators, but its translations need not be strongly continuous in the usual plane topology. We project those indicators onto the functions whose translation orbits are continuous in \(L^2\). The projection must preserve nonnegativity and the sum of the label coordinates; the next lemma establishes this by identifying it as conditional expectation. Haar rigidity then preserves the zero unit correlations, and one measurable sample yields a weak coloring. The converse uses density points and finite graph compactness. The continuous part of a stationary labeling systemRetain the groups \(E,K,D\), the Borel subgroup \(C\subset D\), and the parametrization \(j:\mathbb R^2\to C\) from Definition 6. In the following lemma, the topology on \(E\) used to define continuity is its usual subspace topology in \(\mathbb R^2\), although its measure-preserving action is initially only an action of the countable discrete group. Lemma 18 (Continuous vectors and positivity). Let a standard probability space carry a measure-preserving action of the additive group \(E\), with Koopman operators \(T_z\). The subspace \[\mathcal H_c =\left\{v\in L^2: \lim_{\substack{z\to0\\z\in E}}\lVert T_zv-v\rVert_2=0\right\}\] is \(L^2\) of a factor. It is also the spectral subspace on \(C\) for the representation of \(E_{\rm disc}\). The operators on this subspace extend to a strongly continuous unitary representation \(T_x\), \(x\in\mathbb R^2\), which preserves the positive cone and the constant one. If the system also has rotations \(V_u\), \(u\in K\), satisfying \(V_uT_zV_u^{-1}=T_{uz}\), then \(\mathcal H_c\) and its orthogonal projection are rotation invariant. Proof. The subspace is closed. Indeed, if \(v\) is close in \(L^2\) to a continuous vector \(w\), then \[\lVert T_zv-v\rVert_2 \le 2\lVert v-w\rVert_2+\lVert T_zw-w\rVert_2.\] It contains the constants and is invariant under the translations. Apply the spectral theorem for the discrete abelian group \(E\), with dual group \(D\). For \(v\in L^2\), write \(\lambda_v\) for its finite scalar spectral measure, so \[\langle v,T_zv\rangle =\int_D\psi_z(d)\,d\lambda_v(d),\qquad \lVert T_zv-v\rVert_2^2 =\int_D\lvert\psi_z(d)-1\rvert^2\,d\lambda_v(d).\] If \(\lambda_v(C^c)=0\), the second integral tends to zero as \(z\to0\) in the usual topology, by dominated convergence and the continuous-character parametrization. Conversely, suppose \(v\in\mathcal H_c\). Its coefficient \(F_v(z)=\langle v,T_zv\rangle\) is uniformly continuous on \(E\): \[\lvert F_v(z+h)-F_v(z)\rvert \le \lVert v\rVert_2\,\lVert T_hv-v\rVert_2 .\] It extends to a continuous positive-definite function on \(\mathbb R^2\). Positive definiteness follows by approximating each finite list of real-plane points by points of \(E\) and passing to the limit in its defining quadratic form. Bochner’s theorem supplies a finite measure on \(\mathbb R^2\) representing this extension. Its pushforward under \(j\) has the same Fourier coefficients on \(D\) as \(\lambda_v\), so Fourier uniqueness identifies the two measures. Thus \(\lambda_v(C^c)=0\). The representation result is the abelian spectral theorem (also called the Stone–Naimark–Ambrose–Godement theorem); it and Bochner’s theorem are given in Bekka et al. (2008, Theorems D.3.1 and D.2.2). The spectral theorem is applied to the discrete locally compact group \(E\), while Bochner’s theorem is applied to \(\mathbb R^2\). This identifies \(\mathcal H_c\) with the range of the spectral projection on the Borel set \(C\). To obtain the factor assertion, it is essential that the original \(T_z\) are Koopman operators. They commute with complex conjugation and with pointwise composition. For bounded \(v,w\in\mathcal H_c\), \[\lVert T_z(vw)-vw\rVert_2 \le \lVert v\rVert_\infty\lVert T_zw-w\rVert_2 +\lVert w\rVert_\infty\lVert T_zv-v\rVert_2,\] so \(vw\in\mathcal H_c\). For a Lipschitz function \(\Phi:\mathbb C\to\mathbb C\), \[\lVert T_z\Phi(v)-\Phi(v)\rVert_2 \le {\rm Lip}(\Phi)\lVert T_zv-v\rVert_2 .\] In particular, radial projection of \(v\) onto a bounded complex disk is still in \(\mathcal H_c\). Such projections converge to \(v\) in \(L^2\) as the disk radius tends to infinity. Let \(\mathcal F_c\) be the completed factor generated by the bounded members of \(\mathcal H_c\). Those members form a bounded unital star-algebra. Its \(L^2\) closure is \(L^2(\mathcal F_c)\): for a finite list of its bounded generators, polynomials in their coordinates and conjugates approximate continuous functions on the compact range by Stone–Weierstrass; continuous functions are dense in \(L^2\) of the corresponding finite-dimensional distribution. Finite-coordinate measurable functions are dense in the generated factor, by the monotone-class theorem. The closedness already proved therefore gives \(L^2(\mathcal F_c)\subset\mathcal H_c\). Conversely, the bounded truncations of every \(v\in\mathcal H_c\) are \(\mathcal F_c\)-measurable and converge to \(v\) in \(L^2\). Hence \(\mathcal H_c=L^2(\mathcal F_c)\). Its orthogonal projection is conditional expectation. For \(x\in\mathbb R^2\), choose \(z_n\in E\) with \(z_n\to x\). For \(v\in\mathcal H_c\), \[\lVert T_{z_n}v-T_{z_m}v\rVert_2 =\lVert T_{z_n-z_m}v-v\rVert_2\longrightarrow0 .\] Define \(T_xv\) by this limit. The definition is independent of the approximating sequence, and strong limits together with the original group law give the group law on \(\mathbb R^2\), inverses, and strong continuity. The operators are unitary. The positive cone in \(L^2\) is closed, so \(T_x\) preserves positivity, and \(T_x1=1\). No pointwise action of \(\mathbb R^2\) is needed for these conclusions. Finally, for \(u\in K\), covariance gives \[\lVert T_zV_uv-V_uv\rVert_2 =\lVert T_{u^{-1}z}v-v\rVert_2\longrightarrow0 .\] Thus rotations preserve \(\mathcal H_c\); their inverses do as well, so its orthogonal projection commutes with them. ◻ Proposition 19 (From proper to weak measurable colorings). Let \(k\) be a positive integer. If the plane admits an unrestricted proper \(k\)-coloring, then it admits a weak measurable \(k\)-coloring. Proof. An invariant law on proper labelings. Restrict the given coloring to \(E\). In the compact metrizable space \(\{1,\ldots,k\}^E\), let \(\Omega\) be the closed set of proper labelings of the unit-distance graph on \(E\). It is nonempty. The countable group \(E\rtimes K\) acts continuously on \(\Omega\); translations and rotations preserve the unit-edge constraints. This group is amenable, being an extension of two abelian groups (Bekka et al. 2008, Theorem G.2.1 and Proposition G.2.2(ii)). The Følner criterion (Bekka et al. 2008, Theorem G.5.1), applied to successive finite subsets of this countable group, gives a finite-set Følner sequence. Averages of a point mass over a finite-set Følner sequence have a weakly convergent subsequence, and every limit is invariant. This gives an invariant Borel probability \(\mu\) on \(\Omega\). Let \(f_i\) be the indicator that the origin has label \(i\). Choose the translation convention so \(T_zf_i\) is the indicator of label \(i\) at \(z\). The rotations about the origin fix each \(f_i\), and properness gives \[ \int_\Omega f_i\,T_uf_i\,d\mu=0 \qquad (u\in K,\ 1\le i\le k). \tag{33}\] The continuous factor and zero correlations. Use Lemma 18 to write \[p_i=\mathbb E(f_i\mid\mathcal F_c),\qquad b_i=f_i-p_i.\] Then \(0\le p_i\le1\) and \(\sum_i p_i=1\). Both \(p_i\) and \(b_i\) are rotation-fixed. The scalar translation spectral measure of \(b_i\) is \(K\)-invariant: covariance gives equality of its Fourier coefficients at \(z\) and \(uz\), and Fourier uniqueness gives invariance of the measure. It gives \(C\) measure zero, by the spectral-subspace assertion of the lemma. If it is nonzero, normalize it and apply Theorem 8. The scalar spectral measure is therefore a multiple of Haar measure, including the zero multiple. It follows that \[\langle b_i,T_zb_i\rangle=0\qquad(z\in E\setminus\{0\}).\] The subspace \(\mathcal H_c\) and its orthogonal complement are translation invariant, so both cross terms in (33) vanish. Consequently \[\int_\Omega p_i\,T_up_i\,d\mu=0\qquad(u\in K).\] The algebraic unit directions are dense in the usual unit circle, as is seen already from the rational tangent-half-angle parametrization. Strong continuity of the extended operators therefore gives this identity for every usual unit direction \(u\in S^1\). For every \(x\in\mathbb R^2\), unitarity and the group law then give \[ \int_\Omega (T_xp_i)(T_{x+u}p_i)\,d\mu =\langle T_xp_i,T_xT_up_i\rangle =\langle p_i,T_up_i\rangle=0 . \tag{34}\] The functions here are nonnegative equivalence classes. This calculation uses no pointwise realization or multiplicativity of the extended \(\mathbb R^2\) action. A measurable sample. The continuous map \(x\mapsto T_xp_i\) takes values in the separable space \(L^2(\mu)\). On a bounded spatial domain, approximate it by finite-valued simple maps in the \(L^2(\mu)\) norm, choosing the integrals of their squared approximation errors to be summable. Choose measurable representatives for their finitely many values. The resulting jointly measurable functions converge in the product \(L^2\) space. A subsequence converges in \(L^2(\mu)\) for almost every \(x\), so its product-space limit represents \(T_xp_i\) at almost every \(x\). Applying this on a countable exhaustion, or on its disjoint measurable annuli, gives a jointly measurable field \(H_i(x,\omega)\) on \(\mathbb R^2\times\Omega\), correct as an \(L^2(\mu)\) representative for almost every \(x\). Since the probability model is standard, Borel versions may be used. Taking real parts and clamping each \(H_i\) to \([0,1]\) preserves this representation property and makes all the fields everywhere nonnegative. There is a plane-null set \(N\) outside which all these representations are correct. For almost every \(x\), their sum is one for \(\mu\)-almost every \(\omega\). Moreover, on every bounded spatial domain, \[\int\!\int_{S^1} \bigl(\mathbf 1_N(x)+\mathbf 1_N(x+u)\bigr)\,d\sigma(u)\,dx=0.\] The assertion about \(x+u\) follows by translation invariance of Lebesgue measure for each fixed \(u\), followed by Fubini. Thus (34) applies to the chosen representatives for almost every pair \((x,u)\). Tonelli gives, for every positive integer \(m\), \[\int_\Omega\sum_{i=1}^k \int_{B(0,m)}\int_{S^1} H_i(x,\omega)H_i(x+u,\omega)\,d\sigma(u)\,dx\,d\mu(\omega)=0.\] Choose one sample \(\omega\) for which all the inner integrals vanish, and for which \(\sum_iH_i(x,\omega)=1\) for almost every \(x\). There are only countably many conditions here. At every point where the sum is one, assign the least index with positive field; on the remaining plane-null set assign any index. This is measurable. A same-color pair outside that null set would have positive product of the corresponding fields, which occurs only on a \(dx\,d\sigma(u)\)-null set. Hitting the spatial exceptional set at either endpoint is also a product-null event. This proves the weak measurable condition. ◻ Density points and the converse transferThe next argument is a version of the density-point method used by Falconer (1981) and Payne (2009, Lemma 1 and Proposition 1). Here the hypothesis excludes unit pairs only in product measure, so we first show directly that density-one points still form independent sets. Lemma 20 (Density-point properness). In a weak measurable \(k\)-coloring with classes \(A_1,\ldots,A_k\), the full-density-point set of each \(A_i\) contains no unit pair. These density-point sets are disjoint and their union is conull. Proof. Suppose \(x\) and \(y=x+u\), with \(\lvert u\rvert=1\), both have density one of \(A_i\). For \(h>0\) small, choose \(x'\) uniformly in \(B(x,h)\) and independently choose \(u'\) uniformly on an arc of positive angular measure satisfying \(\lvert u'-u\rvert<h\). Density at \(x\) gives \(\mathbb P(x'\notin A_i)=o(1)\) as \(h\downarrow0\). The distribution of \(x'+u'\) is a mixture of translated uniform disk distributions. Its density is bounded by \(1/(\pi h^2)\), and its support is in \(B(y,2h)\). Therefore \[\mathbb P(x'+u'\notin A_i) \le \frac{\lvert B(y,2h)\setminus A_i\rvert}{\pi h^2}=o(1).\] For small \(h\) the probability that both points lie in \(A_i\) is positive. But the pair-parameter distribution is absolutely continuous with respect to \(dx\,d\sigma(u)\), and the two points have distance one. This contradicts the weak condition. Lebesgue differentiation makes the union of the density-point sets conull. Two different color classes, being disjoint up to null sets, cannot both have density one at the same point, so these sets are disjoint. ◻ Proof of Theorem 3. The forward implication is Proposition 19. For the reverse implication, Lemma 20 gives a conull set partitioned into strictly unit-independent density-point classes. Any fixed finite configuration of plane points has a translate entirely inside that conull set: the permissible translation vectors are a finite intersection of conull sets. Its unit-distance graph therefore has a proper \(k\)-coloring. In the compact product space \(\{1,\ldots,k\}^{\mathbb R^2}\), each unit-edge condition is closed and depends on two coordinates. Every finite family of these conditions involves a finite configuration and is satisfiable by the preceding paragraph. The finite intersection property, using product compactness in ZFC, produces a coloring satisfying every unit-edge condition. This is the graph compactness principle of (Bruijn and Erdős 1951, Theorem 1); the argument just given specifies its application to the unrestricted plane. It proves (1). ◻ Circle palettes and their cardinalityWe now assume a weak measurable five-coloring and develop angular palettes at every center. Their labels record all possible limiting circle samples. The main result of this section is that almost every palette contains at most two labels, at every fixed center. We obtain this bound from exclusions between circle samples and a separation property for centers whose palettes meet one fixed pair of labels. Typical samples, traces, and maximal palettesFor this section and the subsequent contradiction, the label set is \(\{1,\ldots,5\}\); write \(A_i\) for the classes, \(a_i=\mathbf 1_{A_i}\), and \(c\) for the coloring. We choose Borel representatives forming a partition. Changing a coloring on a plane-null set leaves the weak condition unchanged, because that set is hit at either endpoint only on a \(dx\,d\sigma(u)\)-null set. Call a point typical if it has density one of its actual color. Typical points form a conull set. By Lemma 20, any unit pair of typical points has different colors. The same lemma applies to two density-one points of a class regardless of the values assigned to the coloring at those individual points. For each label let \[H_i=\{q\in\mathbb R^2: \lvert A_i\cap B(q,r)\rvert>0\text{ for every }r>0\}\] be its closed spatial essential support. Let \(S=S^1\) carry uniform angular probability \(\sigma\). Let \(R\) denote rotation by \(\kappa=\pi/3\), and \(J\) rotation by \(\pi/2\). We identify unit directions with angles modulo \(2\pi\). Two directions are called parallel if they are equal or opposite; all angular density and essential-support statements refer to angular Lebesgue measure. Call \((y,r)\), with \(y\in\mathbb R^2\) and \(r>0\), a typical circle sampling if \(y+re\) is typical for almost every \(e\in S\). For each fixed \(r\), this holds for almost every \(y\) by Fubini and translation invariance of plane measure. For each fixed \(y\), it holds for almost every \(r>0\) by polar coordinates and Fubini. Definition 21 (Circle traces and maximal palettes). For each fixed center \(x\), let \(\mathcal W_x\) be the family of vector functions in \(L^\infty(S;\mathbb R^5)\) that can be obtained as \[b=\operatorname{w}^*\!-\!\lim_{n\to\infty} (a_i(y_n+r_ne))_{i=1}^5,\qquad y_n\to x,\quad r_n\to1,\] where every \((y_n,r_n)\) is a typical circle sampling. Constant sequences are permitted. For a label \(i\), form the essential measurable union \[D_{x,i}=\mathop{\operatorname{ess\,union}}_{b\in\mathcal W_x} \{e:b_i(e)>0\}.\] The maximal palette is the measurable set-valued function \[P_x(e)=\{i:e\in D_{x,i}\},\] defined up to angular null sets. Here are the compactness and countability facts in this definition. Typical samplings with radius one can be chosen at centers approaching any prescribed \(x\). Their bounded vectors have weak-* convergent subsequences, since \(L^1(S)\) is separable and the bounded ball of its dual is weak-* compact and metrizable. Thus \(\mathcal W_x\) is nonempty. Every \(b\in\mathcal W_x\) has nonnegative coordinates and \(\sum_i b_i=1\) almost everywhere, since these assertions pass to a weak-* limit by integration against nonnegative test functions. The family also has the following closure under varying centers: \[ x_n\to x,\quad b^n\in\mathcal W_{x_n},\quad b^n\rightharpoonup^* b \quad\Longrightarrow\quad b\in\mathcal W_x . \tag{35}\] To see this, fix a metric for the bounded-ball weak-* topology. From a sequence realizing \(b^n\), choose one sample within \(1/n\) of \(b^n\) in that metric, with center within \(1/n\) of \(x_n\) and radius within \(1/n\) of one. These chosen samples realize \(b\) at \(x\). In particular \(\mathcal W_x\) is compact. For completeness, the essential union for a fixed label can always be taken over a countable subfamily. Let \(M_i\) be the supremum of the measures of finite unions of the sets \(\{b_i>0\}\). Choose finite unions approaching \(M_i\), and let \(D_{x,i}\) be their countable union. Its measure is \(M_i\). If another member \(\{b_i>0\}\) had positive measure outside this union, adjoining it to sufficiently large finite partial unions would contradict the definition of \(M_i\). This proves that every individual trace has its positive coordinates in the palette almost everywhere. It also gives nonemptiness of \(P_x(e)\) almost everywhere, by using any one trace and its sum-one property. The null set in the last assertion may depend on the individual trace, and the angular null sets may depend on \(x\). We shall use countable generating trace families whenever a conclusion is to be asserted for the whole palette. No joint measurability of \(P_x\) in its center is assumed. Exclusion, density, and smooth transportLemma 22 (Palette transfer). The following assertions hold at every fixed center \(x\).
Each assertion permits an exceptional angular set depending on the fixed centers and on the specified maps. Proof. Fix \(b\in\mathcal W_x\), with realizing samplings \((y_n,r_n)\). For every \(n\), the point \(y_n+r_ne\) is typical for almost every \(e\). The second point \(y_n+r_ne+v\) is typical for almost every pair \((e,v)\): in angular coordinates the map \[G_n(e,v)=y_n+r_ne+v\] has Jacobian of absolute value \(r_n\lvert\sin(\arg v-\arg e)\rvert\), which is nonsingular off a product-null set. On countably many smaller coordinate patches away from that set, change of variables pulls back any plane-null set to a product-null set. The two typical points have distance one. Lemma 20 therefore gives \[ a_i(y_n+r_ne)a_i(y_n+r_ne+v)=0 \quad\text{for almost every }(e,v). \tag{38}\] We need the following strong convergence for the second factor: \[ a_i(y_n+r_ne+v)\longrightarrow a_i(x+e+v) \quad\text{in }L^1(S\times S). \tag{39}\] Here is a change-of-variables proof which also covers arbitrary measurable color boundaries. For \(\delta>0\), discard the angular pairs with \(\lvert\sin(\arg v-\arg e)\rvert\le\delta\). Their measure tends to zero with \(\delta\). On the remaining set, for large \(n\), the Jacobian is bounded below by \(\delta/2\). The multiplicity of \(G_n\) there is at most two: an inverse image of a specified sum amounts to an intersection of the circle of radius \(r_n\) with a translated circle of radius one. A coincident-circle case can occur only at the antiparallel, hence discarded, directions. The same assertions hold for \(G(e,v)=x+e+v\). Their images lie in one fixed compact plane region for all large \(n\). It follows that on the retained angular set the pushforwards of angular product measure have densities bounded by a constant depending only on \(\delta\), uniformly in \(n\). Approximate \(a_i\) on a compact neighborhood of those images by a continuous function taking values in \([0,1]\), in plane \(L^1\). The density bounds control its composition errors uniformly. For the continuous approximant the compositions converge uniformly, since \(y_n\to x\) and \(r_n\to1\). First making the approximation error small, then letting \(n\to\infty\), and finally letting \(\delta\downarrow0\), proves (39). Set \(B_n(e)=a_i(y_n+r_ne)\) and \(Q(e,v)=a_i(x+e+v)\). The error in replacing the second factor of (38) by \(Q\), after integration, is at most the \(L^1\) error in (39). Weak-* convergence of \(B_n\) then applies to the fixed \(L^1(S)\) test \(\int_S Q(e,v)\,d\sigma(v)\). We obtain \[\int_{S\times S}b_i(e)a_i(x+e+v)\,d\sigma(e)\,d\sigma(v)=0.\] Both factors are nonnegative, so their product is zero almost everywhere. Taking the countable generating trace families in Definition 21, for all five labels, proves exclusion of \(P_x(e)\). Interchanging \(e,v\) proves exclusion of \(P_x(v)\), and gives (36). In particular this passage used a strongly convergent factor against a weak-* limit, not a product of two weak-* limits. Next fix an angular density-one point \(e\) of \(D_{x,i}\) and any nonparallel direction \(v\). The map \[(e',v')\longmapsto x+e'+v'\] is a smooth local diffeomorphism near \((e,v)\). Choose real angular coordinates near \(e,v\) and an inverse branch on a plane neighborhood of \(x+e+v\). For small \(h\), the inverse image under this branch of \(B(x+e+v,h)\) lies in a product of angular intervals of length \(O(h)\) about \(e,v\), and its change-of-variables factors are bounded. On this branch, (36) implies that a point of \(A_i\) has first coordinate outside \(D_{x,i}\), apart from a spatial null set. Therefore \[\lvert A_i\cap B(x+e+v,h)\rvert \le C h\, \lvert[e-Ch,e+Ch]\setminus D_{x,i}\rvert =o(h^2).\] The constants can depend on the fixed nonparallel pair. This establishes assertion 2 for each such \(v\). It is a two-dimensional neighborhood argument and does not restrict (36) to a possibly exceptional single-angle fiber. Finally fix the centers and representation in assertion 3, and work first on a smaller compact arc on which one inverse branch of the two-angle sum map is available. Let a trace \(b\in\mathcal W_z\) be realized by \((z_n,r_n)\). Applying this inverse branch to \(z_n+r_nf-x\) gives perturbed representations \[z_n+r_nf=x+s_n(f)+t_n(f),\] where \(s_n,t_n\) are nonparallel and converge to \(s,t\) in \(C^1\) on the smaller arc. Shrinking the arc if necessary, \(s\) is a diffeomorphism with derivative bounded away from zero, and the \(s_n\) have uniformly bounded inverse derivatives for large \(n\). For \(D_i=D_{x,i}\), these facts imply \[ \mathbf 1_{D_i}(s_n(f))\longrightarrow\mathbf 1_{D_i}(s(f)) \quad\text{in }L^1\text{ on the smaller arc}. \tag{40}\] To verify it, approximate \(\mathbf 1_{D_i}\) on a common image interval by a continuous function in angular \(L^1\). Change of variables and the inverse-derivative bounds control the errors of composition uniformly for \(s_n\) and for \(s\). Uniform convergence of \(s_n\) handles the continuous approximant. Almost every \(f\) with \(s_n(f)\in D_i\) has \(s_n(f)\) a density-one point of \(D_i\). Indeed the set of exceptions in \(D_i\) is angular null by differentiation, and \(s_n\) pulls it back to a null set. Assertion 2 makes the density of \(A_i\) at \(z_n+r_nf\) zero for all these \(f\). The sampling \((z_n,r_n)\) is typical on its circle, so for almost every such \(f\) its actual color cannot be \(i\). Consequently \[a_i(z_n+r_nf)\mathbf 1_{D_i}(s_n(f))=0 \quad\text{almost everywhere on the smaller arc}.\] Use (40) to replace the second factor strongly in \(L^1\), and then use weak-* convergence of the first factor. Nonnegativity gives \[b_i(f)\mathbf 1_{D_i}(s(f))=0 \quad\text{almost everywhere}.\] Taking a countable generating family of traces at \(z\) and the five labels proves (37) on this arc. A countable cover by smaller arcs proves it on the stated domain. ◻ Remark 23. In assertion 3 of Lemma 22, the second endpoint map \(t\) may be constant. Nonparallelness makes the two-dimensional sum map invertible, while the local diffeomorphism requirement on \(s\) alone controls preimages of angular null sets. In particular, for any fixed direction \(a\), the representation \[(x+a)+f=x+f+a\] is admissible off \(f=\pm a\). The proof applies at every fixed pair of centers and never needs a common exceptional angular set over an uncountable family of centers. Corollary 24 (Sixty-degree exclusion). At every fixed center \(x\), \[ P_x(f)\cap P_x(Rf)=\varnothing \qquad\text{for almost every }f\in S. \tag{41}\] Proof. Use \(x+f=x+Rf+R^{-1}f\) in Lemma 22. The endpoint directions are nonparallel and the first endpoint map is a rotation. ◻ Separation of binary centersFix two distinct labels \(i_+,i_-\). Call a center \(x\) binary for \(\{i_+,i_-\}\) if \[P_x(e)\cap\{i_+,i_-\}\ne\varnothing \qquad\text{for almost every }e\in S.\] The exclusion (41) makes this intersection a singleton almost everywhere. Indeed, at almost every \(e\), the intersections at \(e\) and \(Re\) are nonempty disjoint subsets of a two-element set; they must therefore be the two different singletons. Thus there is a unique measurable selection from this pair, up to a null set, and it alternates under \(R\). Conversely, the existence of an alternating selection from the pair plainly implies the displayed intersection condition. Write this selection as a measurable \(2\pi\)-periodic sign function \(s_x:\mathbb R\to\{-1,1\}\), assigning the signs \(+1,-1\) to \(i_+,i_-\) respectively and choosing arbitrary values on the exceptional null set. With \(\kappa=\pi/3\), it satisfies \[ s_x(t+\kappa)=-s_x(t) \qquad\text{for almost every }t. \tag{42}\] In particular, either sign occupies angular measure \(\pi\) in a period. Lemma 25 (Binary-center separation). There is an absolute constant \(\delta_*>0\) such that, for every fixed pair of labels, any two distinct centers binary for that pair are at distance at least \(\delta_*\). Proof. Suppose that \(x,y\) are distinct binary centers for the same pair, and put \(d=|y-x|\). We will derive a contradiction whenever \(0<d<\delta_*\), with \(\delta_*\) chosen below independently of the coloring, the pair, and the centers. Rotate angular coordinates so that \(y-x=d\) lies on the positive real axis. The maps forced by palette transport. For \(d<1/2\), the vector \(d+e^{it}\) has length strictly between zero and two. Define real lifts \[\begin{split} \Theta_d(t)&=t+\operatorname{Im}\log(1+d e^{-it}),\\ \alpha_\pm(t)&=\Theta_d(t) \pm\arccos\bigl(|d+e^{it}|/2\bigr), \end{split}\] where the logarithm is the branch near \(1\). These formulas give the exact representation \[y+e^{it} =x+e^{i\alpha_+(t)}+e^{i\alpha_-(t)}.\] Its two unit directions are nonparallel. Their angular difference is twice an angle strictly between zero and \(\pi/2\), and stays away from both parallel cases for sufficiently small \(d\). The functions \(\alpha_\pm\) are smooth degree-one lifts: \(\alpha_\pm(t+2\pi)=\alpha_\pm(t)+2\pi\). Their derivatives converge uniformly to \(1\) as \(d\to0\), so for small \(d\) they induce orientation-preserving circle diffeomorphisms. We may therefore apply Lemma 22 locally, with either endpoint as its first direction, and cover the angular circle by finitely many such domains. It follows that \[P_y(e^{it})\cap P_x(e^{i\alpha_\pm(t)})=\varnothing \qquad\text{for almost every }t.\] Both binary selections belong to the same fixed pair of labels. Consequently, \[s_x(\alpha_+(t))=s_x(\alpha_-(t))=-s_y(t) \qquad\text{for almost every }t.\] Since \(\alpha_-\) is nonsingular for angular Lebesgue measure, \(s_x\) is invariant almost everywhere under \(H=\alpha_+\circ\alpha_-^{-1}\). By (42), \(s_x\) is also invariant under translation by \(2\kappa\). Define \[F(t)=H(t)-2\kappa,\qquad F_j(t)=j\kappa+F(t-j\kappa),\qquad 0\le j\le5.\] Then \(s_x\circ F=s_x\) almost everywhere. More generally, (42) gives \(s_x(t+j\kappa)=(-1)^j s_x(t)\) almost everywhere, and hence \[s_x(F_j(t)) =(-1)^j s_x(F(t-j\kappa)) =(-1)^{2j}s_x(t) =s_x(t)\] almost everywhere. The changes of variables in these identities are legitimate because all the maps involved are diffeomorphisms. Uniform expansions of the six maps. For a periodic function, an \(O_{C^2}(d^2)\) remainder means that its value and its first two derivatives in \(t\) are bounded by a fixed constant times \(d^2\), uniformly in \(t\). Taylor expansion gives \[\begin{split} \operatorname{Im}\log(1+d e^{-it}) &=-d\sin t+O_{C^2}(d^2),\\ |d+e^{it}|&=1+d\cos t+O_{C^2}(d^2),\\ \alpha_\pm(t) &=t\pm\kappa-d\sin t \mp\frac d{\sqrt3}\cos t+O_{C^2}(d^2). \end{split}\] All the bounds are uniform: the logarithm, square root, and arccosine in these formulas range in fixed smooth domains for \(d<1/2\). The inverse maps also depend smoothly on \(d\), with uniformly bounded derivatives on a period. For the composition, put \[a_\pm(t)=-\sin t\mp\frac1{\sqrt3}\cos t.\] Then \[\alpha_-^{-1}(t) =t+\kappa-d a_-(t+\kappa)+O_{C^2}(d^2),\] and therefore \[ \begin{split} F(t) &=t+d\bigl(a_+(t+\kappa)-a_-(t+\kappa)\bigr) +O_{C^2}(d^2)\\ &=t-\frac{2d}{\sqrt3}\cos(t+\kappa)+O_{C^2}(d^2)\\ &=t+\frac{2d}{\sqrt3}\sin(t-\pi/6)+O_{C^2}(d^2). \end{split} \tag{43}\] Thus \[F_j(t)=t+\frac{2d}{\sqrt3} \sin(t-j\kappa-\pi/6)+O_{C^2}(d^2).\] Among six phases spaced by \(\pi/3\), the maximum sine and the maximum cosine are each at least \(\sqrt3/2\). Absorbing the quadratic remainders, we obtain absolute constants \(c_0,C_0,d_1>0\), with \(d_1<1/2\), such that whenever \(0<d<d_1\), for every \(t\), \[ \begin{split} \max_{0\le j\le5}(F_j(t)-t)&\ge c_0d,\\ \max_{0\le j\le5}F_j'(t)&\ge1+c_0d,\\ |F_j(t)-t|,\quad |F_j'(t)-1|,\quad |F_j''(t)| &\le C_0d\qquad(0\le j\le5). \end{split} \tag{44}\] The map attaining the first maximum need not attain the second. We will use the derivative maximum to enlarge small intervals, and the displacement maximum later to extend a conull interval. Choose once and for all \[0<L\le\min\{c_0/C_0,\pi/4\}, \qquad \delta_*=\min\{d_1,(2C_0)^{-1},L/(2C_0)\},\] and assume \(0<d<\delta_*\). In particular every \(F_j\) and its inverse is Lipschitz, since \[\frac12\le F_j'\le\frac32.\] Enlarging density intervals with bounded distortion. This is an adaptation of Sullivan’s expanding-action and bounded-distortion strategy; see Deroin–Kleptsyn–Navas (Deroin et al. 2008, sec. 2.1). The argument below replaces the usual minimality step by explicit small-displacement overlap propagation when extending the conull interval. Let \[A=\{t\in\mathbb R:s_x(t)=1\}.\] It is measurable and \(2\pi\)-periodic, and has measure \(\pi\) in every period. The identities already proved say that \(F_j^{-1}(A)\) and \(A\) differ by a null set. Because \(F_j\) and its inverse preserve null sets, the same holds for \(F_j(A)\) and \(A\), and for every finite composition of the maps. There is no difficulty from choosing the compositions adaptively: there are only countably many finite words in the six maps and their inverses. Equivalently, one may discard the union of the images of the finitely many exceptional null sets under this countable group, obtaining a common invariant conull set on which all the membership identities hold. Take an interval \(I_0\) of positive length \(\ell_0<L\). Given \(I_r\) with length \(\ell_r<L\), choose \(F_{j_r}\) whose derivative at the midpoint of \(I_r\) is at least \(1+c_0d\), and put \(I_{r+1}=F_{j_r}(I_r)\). For every \(t\in I_r\), \[F_{j_r}'(t) \ge1+c_0d-\frac12C_0d\ell_r \ge1+\frac12c_0d.\] Writing \(\lambda=1+c_0d/2>1\), we therefore have \(\ell_{r+1}\ge\lambda\ell_r\). The process stops after finitely many steps, at the first \(N\) for which \(\ell_N\ge L\), and \[L\le\ell_N\le(1+C_0d)L.\] Let \(G=F_{j_{N-1}}\circ\cdots\circ F_{j_0}\). For each elementary map, \[|(\log F_j')'|=\left|\frac{F_j''}{F_j'}\right|\le2C_0d.\] Applying the chain rule at two points of \(I_0\), whose images before step \(r\) lie in \(I_r\), gives \[\operatorname{osc}_{I_0}\log G' \le2C_0d\sum_{r=0}^{N-1}\ell_r.\] The geometric growth bounds the sum independently of \(N\): \[\sum_{r=0}^{N-1}\ell_r \le\ell_N\sum_{q=1}^{N}\lambda^{-q} \le\frac{\ell_N}{\lambda-1}.\] Consequently, \[ \operatorname{osc}_{I_0}\log G' \le\frac{4C_0(1+C_0d)L}{c_0} \le\frac{6C_0L}{c_0}. \tag{45}\] In particular, \[\frac{\sup_{I_0}G'}{\inf_{I_0}G'} \le D_{\rm dist},\qquad D_{\rm dist}=\exp(6C_0L/c_0),\] uniformly in the initial interval, the number of steps, and \(0<d<\delta_*\). The invariance of \(A\), together with preservation of null sets, implies that \(G(I_0)\setminus A\) and \(G(I_0\setminus A)\) differ by a null set. Change of variables and the distortion bound therefore give \[\frac{|I_N\setminus A|}{|I_N|} \le \frac{\sup_{I_0}G'}{\inf_{I_0}G'} \frac{|I_0\setminus A|}{|I_0|} \le D_{\rm dist}\,\frac{|I_0\setminus A|}{|I_0|}.\] This is the only measure comparison needed; the maps need not preserve Lebesgue measure. Since \(A\) has positive measure, choose a Lebesgue density point of \(A\) and a sequence of centered intervals shrinking to it. Their relative complements in \(A\) tend to zero. Apply the construction to each interval. The resulting intervals \(J_n\) have lengths in \([L,(1+C_0d)L]\), and \[|J_n\setminus A|\longrightarrow0.\] Translate \(J_n\) by an integer multiple of \(2\pi\) so that its left endpoint lies in \([0,2\pi)\). This leaves the preceding measure statement unchanged. Passing to a subsequence, their two endpoints converge to those of an interval \(J=[a,b]\) of length at least \(L\). Endpoint convergence gives \(|J_n\mathbin{\triangle}J|\to0\), and hence \[|J\setminus A| \le |J\mathbin{\triangle}J_n|+|J_n\setminus A| \longrightarrow0.\] We have obtained an interval of fixed positive length on which \(A\) is conull. Extending a conull interval. Suppose \(A\) is conull on \([a,b]\), with \(b-a\ge L\). By the first inequality in (44), choose \(j\) so that \[F_j(b)\ge b+c_0d.\] The image \(F_j([a,b])\) is also conull in \(A\). Moreover, \[F_j(a)\le a+C_0d<a+L\le b.\] Thus this image overlaps \([a,b]\), and their union contains \([a,F_j(b)]\), on which \(A\) is conull. Its right endpoint has advanced by at least \(c_0d\). This argument concerns geometric endpoints only; no membership in \(A\) is asserted at either endpoint. Repeat, retaining the left endpoint \(a\). After finitely many steps the conull interval has length at least \(2\pi\). Periodicity then forces \(A\) to have full measure in a period, contrary to the measure \(\pi\) forced by (42). This contradiction excludes \(0<|y-x|<\delta_*\) and proves the lemma. ◻ At most two labels in an angular paletteProposition 26 (Palette cardinality). For every center \(x\in\mathbb R^2\), \[ 1\le\lvert P_x(e)\rvert\le2 \qquad\text{for almost every }e\in S. \tag{46}\] The angular exceptional set may depend on \(x\). Proof. Nonemptiness follows from any one trace in \(\mathcal W_x\), whose coordinates are nonnegative and sum to one. Suppose the upper bound fails on a positive-measure set of angles. There are only finitely many triples of labels, so some fixed triple \(\mathcal A\subset\{1,\ldots,5\}\) is contained in \(P_x(e)\) on a positive-measure angular set \(B\). By (36) and Fubini, for almost every \(e\in B\), the actual coloring on the circle \[v\longmapsto x+e+v\] uses only the complementary pair \(\{1,\ldots,5\}\setminus\mathcal A\) almost everywhere. For almost every such \(e\), this exact radius-one circle sampling is also typical. Indeed the map \((e,v)\mapsto x+e+v\) is nonsingular off a product-null set, so the inverse image of the plane-null set of atypical points is product-null; Fubini then gives the asserted slices. For each of these \(e\), the actual sampling at center \(x+e\), radius exactly one, is itself a trace in \(\mathcal W_{x+e}\), using a constant sequence. Its coordinates sum to one and are supported in the complementary pair. Hence the maximal palette at \(x+e\) intersects that pair almost everywhere. By (41), it has a unique member of the pair almost everywhere, alternating at an \(R\)-step. Thus \(x+e\) is binary for that same fixed pair, even if other traces add further labels to the maximal palette. The good angles still have positive measure, so they give infinitely many distinct binary centers on the compact circle \(x+S\). Lemma 25 makes these centers uniformly separated. A uniformly separated subset of a compact metric space is finite, by a finite cover with sufficiently small balls. This contradiction proves the upper bound. ◻ Transitions and local finiteness of cyclic centersContinue to assume that a weak measurable five-coloring is given, with the notation and null-set conventions of Section 5. Write \(\mathcal I\) for the five-element label set. As before, \(H_i\) is the closed spatial essential support of \(A_i\), and \(P_x\) is defined at every center \(x\), modulo angular null sets. We first use transitions between two colors to obtain circle traces that avoid both labels. The resulting angular restrictions show that centers whose transition graphs contain a cycle form a locally finite set. In Section 7 we construct a continuous graph-valued map on a square after removing small disks about these centers. Transition graphs and avoiding tracesFor distinct \(i,j\in\mathcal I\), a bounded ball \(B\subset\mathbb R^2\), and \(h\in\mathbb R^2\), define \[D_{ij}(B,h)=\bigl|\{q\in B: (c(q),c(q+h))\in\{(i,j),(j,i)\}\}\bigr|,\] where vertical bars on a plane set denote Lebesgue area. The second endpoint \(q+h\) is not required to belong to \(B\). The normalization by \(|h|\) below is chosen to match the circle-averaging estimate used in Lemma 28: transition sets of area comparable to \(|h|\) will yield traces avoiding both endpoint labels. Definition 27 (Transition graph). For \(x\in\mathbb R^2\), let \(\Gamma_x\) be the simple graph on \(\mathcal I\) in which \(ij\) is an edge precisely when, for every ball \(B\) centered at \(x\) with positive finite radius, \[ \limsup_{\substack{h\to0\\h\ne0}} \frac{D_{ij}(B,h)}{|h|}>0. \tag{47}\] For each fixed pair \(ij\), its edge-presence locus is closed. Indeed, a ball centered at a limit of points of that locus contains a smaller ball centered at one of those points, and \(D_{ij}\) is monotone in its ball argument. Moreover, \[ij\in\Gamma_x\quad\Longrightarrow\quad x\in H_i\cap H_j.\] To check this in any neighborhood of \(x\), use a smaller ball and then choose \(h\) small enough that both endpoints of every transition under consideration remain in the neighborhood. A positive-area transition set gives positive area of each endpoint color there; translation preserves area. Lemma 28 (An edge has an avoiding trace). If \(ij\in\Gamma_x\), there is a trace \(b^{ij}\in\mathcal W_x\) with \(b^{ij}_i=b^{ij}_j=0\) almost everywhere. Consequently, \[ P_x(e)\not\subset\{i,j\} \quad\text{for almost every }e\in S, \qquad ij\in\Gamma_x. \tag{48}\] Proof. Write \[\mathcal Sg(q)=\int_S g(q+e)\,d\sigma(e).\] The estimate we need, for every fixed bounded ball \(B\) and every label \(s\), is \[ \bigl\|\mathcal S\bigl(a_s-a_s(\,\cdot+h)\bigr) \bigr\|_{L^2(B)}=o\bigl(\sqrt{|h|}\bigr) \qquad(h\to0). \tag{49}\] Here and in (47), the vector \(h\) may approach zero in any direction. Choose a boundedly supported \(g\in L^2(\mathbb R^2)\) agreeing with \(a_s\) on a ball containing \(B+S+h\) for all sufficiently small \(h\), as well as \(B+S\). The Fourier transform of normalized circle measure satisfies \[|\widehat\sigma(\xi)|\le C(1+|\xi|)^{-1/2}.\] For completeness, after rotating coordinates the relevant integral is a constant multiple of \(\int_0^{2\pi}\exp(ir\cos t)\,dt\), where \(r\) is proportional to \(|\xi|\). For \(r\ge1\), removing the arcs on which \(|\sin t|\le r^{-1/2}\) costs \(O(r^{-1/2})\). On each remaining interval, integration by parts using the derivative \(-ir\sin t\) gives endpoint terms \(O(r^{-1/2})\), while the integral of \(|\cos t|/(r\sin^2t)\) is also \(O(r^{-1/2})\). The bound for \(r\le1\) is immediate. By Plancherel, the square of the global \(L^2\) norm of \(\mathcal S(g-g(\,\cdot+h))\), divided by \(|h|\), is bounded by the integral of \(|\widehat g(\xi)|^2\) times \[\frac{C}{1+|\xi|} \frac{\min\{C|h|^2|\xi|^2,4\}}{|h|}.\] This multiplier is uniformly bounded: split at \(|\xi|=|h|^{-1}\). For each fixed \(\xi\) it tends to zero as \(h\to0\). Dominated convergence therefore proves (49); the cutoff is fixed before \(h\) tends to zero. For a fixed displacement \(h\), almost every root \(q\) has both \(q,q+h\) typical, and both exact unit-circle samplings centered at these points typical on their circles. At a transition from color \(s\) to color \(t\), the first circle avoids \(s\) and the second avoids \(t\), by properness of the coloring on typical points. Thus the mass of color \(t\) on the first circle equals \(\mathcal S(a_t-a_t(\,\cdot+h))(q)\). For a transition between \(i\) and \(j\) in either order, the first-circle mass of these two colors together is consequently bounded by \[\bigl|\mathcal S(a_i-a_i(\,\cdot+h))(q)\bigr| +\bigl|\mathcal S(a_j-a_j(\,\cdot+h))(q)\bigr|.\] Fix a ball \(B\) about \(x\). Since \(ij\in\Gamma_x\), there is a constant \(c_B>0\) and arbitrarily small nonzero \(h\) for which the transition set in \(B\) has area at least \(c_B|h|\). Cauchy–Schwarz and (49) show that the average of the preceding mass over this transition set is at most \[\frac{o(\sqrt{|h|})}{\sqrt{c_B|h|}}=o(1).\] Now take balls \(B_m\) of radii tending to zero about \(x\). After fixing \(B_m\) and its constant \(c_{B_m}\), choose \(h_m\) sufficiently small and then a transition root \(q_m\in B_m\) from the preceding full-measure set, whose first-circle mass of \(i,j\) is less than \(1/m\). This order of choice requires no lower bound on \(c_{B_m}\) uniform in \(m\). The circle samples at \(q_m\) have radius one; a weak-* subsequential limit belongs to \(\mathcal W_x\) and has zero mass in the two specified coordinates. Since it is nonnegative, sums to one, and is supported within \(P_x\) almost everywhere, it also proves (48). ◻ Two angular state lemmasA state at a center \(x\) will mean a measurable angular set together with a specified nonempty group of labels contained in \(P_x(e)\) almost everywhere on that set. For a measurable set \(A\subset S\), its closed essential support is \[\operatorname{ess\,supp}_S A =\{a\in S:\sigma(A\cap I)>0\text{ for every open arc }I\ni a\}.\] It is empty exactly when \(A\) is null. Almost every point of \(A\) is both a density-one direction for \(A\) and a member of this support. Changing the representative of a state on a null set changes neither its support nor any assertion below. Lemma 29 (Strict state separation). Suppose \(A,B\subset S\) are states at \(x\) representing disjoint label groups whose union is \(\mathcal I\setminus\{X\}\), for a fixed label \(X\). At any nonparallel density-one directions \(a\) of \(A\) and \(b\) of \(B\), the point \(x+a+b\) has spatial density one of \(X\). If \(\sigma(A)>0\), the closed essential support of \(B\) contains no pair at chordal distance one. In particular, it has a strict angular separation from its image under \(R\) and under \(R^{-1}\), with the empty-support case interpreted vacuously. The separation is uniform along a sequence of centers and states \((x_n,A_n,B_n)\) with the same represented groups, provided \(\mathbf 1_{A_n}\to\mathbf 1_A\) in \(L^1(S)\) for a set \(A\) of positive measure. More precisely, for all sufficiently large \(n\), angular differences between two points of \(\operatorname{ess\,supp}_S B_n\) stay a fixed positive distance from both \(\kappa\) and \(-\kappa\) modulo \(2\pi\). Proof. The density conclusion of Lemma 22, following (36), gives density zero of each of the four represented labels at the nonparallel sum. Their complement, the singleton \(X\), therefore has density one there. We prove the uniform assertion by contradiction; the fixed-center case follows by using a constant sequence. If it fails, choose pairs in the supports of \(B_n\) with chordal distances tending to one. Each support point is approximable by density-one directions of \(B_n\). We may thus choose density directions \(b_n,d_n\) in those states such that, after a subsequence, \[b_n\to b,\qquad d_n\to d,\qquad w_n=b_n-d_n\to w=b-d,\qquad |w|=1.\] Choose a small angular interval \(I\) with \(\sigma(A\cap I)>0\), whose closure is separated from the directions parallel to any of \(w,b,d\). Such an interval exists because only finitely many directions are excluded and \(A\) has positive measure. For \(a\in I\), the implicit function theorem gives a unit direction \(c_n(a)\), smoothly depending on \(a\), with \[|w_n+a-c_n(a)|=1, \qquad c_n\longrightarrow\mathop{\mathrm{id}}\quad\text{in }C^1(I).\] Indeed, at \(w_n=w\) and \(c_n(a)=a\) the squared-length equation is satisfied and its derivative in the angle of \(c_n(a)\) is \(-2w\cdot Ja\ne0\). Shrinking \(I\) around a density point of \(A\) if necessary makes this construction uniform on its closure. The maps \(c_n\) have uniformly bounded inverse derivatives. It follows that \(\mathbf 1_{A_n}\circ c_n\to\mathbf 1_A\) in \(L^1(I)\): the difference between \(\mathbf 1_{A_n}\circ c_n\) and \(\mathbf 1_A\circ c_n\) is controlled by the \(L^1\) convergence under change of variables; continuous approximation of \(\mathbf 1_A\) and \(c_n\to\mathop{\mathrm{id}}\) treat the remaining difference. Together with \(\mathbf 1_{A_n}\to\mathbf 1_A\) on \(I\), this shows that the set of \(a\in I\) for which both \(a\) and \(c_n(a)\) lie in \(A_n\) has positive measure for large \(n\). Excluding null sets, choose such an \(a\) for which both are density-one directions. The choice of \(I\) ensures that \((a,b_n)\) and \((c_n(a),d_n)\) are nonparallel. The points \[x_n+a+b_n,\qquad x_n+c_n(a)+d_n\] both have density one of color \(X\), yet their distance is \(|w_n+a-c_n(a)|=1\). This contradicts properness of density-one points. At a single center, compactness of the support turns exclusion of distance-one pairs into the asserted strict margin. ◻ Lemma 30 (Singleton–pair alternation is impossible). At a fixed center, there is no measurable state function with only the two values \(X,D\), representing respectively a singleton \(\{X\}\) and a fixed disjoint pair \(D\), and changing state under \(R\) almost everywhere. Proof. Put \[\gamma=2\arcsin\frac1{2\sqrt3}, \qquad \cos\gamma=\frac56.\] The ratio \(\gamma/\pi\) is irrational. Otherwise \(e^{i\gamma}\) would be a root of unity, making \(2\cos\gamma=5/3\) a rational algebraic integer, hence an integer, a contradiction. There is a positive-measure set of angles \(t\) whose states at \(t\) and \(t+\gamma\) are equal. If not, the state would flip almost everywhere under \(\gamma\), and hence be invariant under \(2\gamma\). A measurable function invariant under an irrational circle rotation is constant almost everywhere: its nonconstant Fourier coefficients vanish, since the corresponding rotation eigenvalues differ from one. This would contradict the flip under \(\kappa\). Choose \(t\) from the positive-measure equality set, also imposing all finitely many needed \(R\)-alternation identities and density-direction conditions. For \(j=0,1,2\), form the points \[z_j=x+e^{i(t+2j\kappa)}+e^{i(t+\pi+\gamma+2j\kappa)} =x+e^{i(t+2j\kappa)}(1-e^{i\gamma}).\] They have distance \(|1-e^{i\gamma}|=1/\sqrt3\) from \(x\) and form an equilateral triangle of side one. In each sum the two nonparallel endpoints have opposite states: \(2\kappa\) preserves the state and \(\pi=3\kappa\) flips it. The density consequence of Lemma 22 therefore gives density one at each \(z_j\) to the union of the two labels outside \(\{X\}\cup D\). A uniform common translation in a sufficiently small disk puts all three vertices in that union and in the typical set with positive probability; the three failure probabilities tend to zero by density one. The resulting unit equilateral triangle would be properly colored with two labels, a contradiction. ◻ The cyclic-center locusTheorem 31 (Local finiteness of cyclic centers). The set \[ \mathcal L=\{x\in\mathbb R^2:\Gamma_x\text{ contains a cycle}\} \tag{50}\] is closed and locally finite: it has finite intersection with every compact subset of the plane. For any specified simple label cycle, its locus is the intersection of its finitely many closed edge-presence loci, hence is closed. There are only finitely many simple cycles on five labels. It therefore suffices to prove local finiteness separately for each triangle, four-cycle, and five-cycle. For a triangle, (48) for its three edges and Proposition 26 force \(P_x(e)\) to intersect the pair of outside labels almost everywhere. Indeed, a nonempty subset of the three triangle labels of size at most two lies in some triangle edge, which is forbidden. By (41) the intersection with the outside pair is unique almost everywhere and alternates under \(R\). Thus every such \(x\) is binary for that fixed pair. Lemma 25 proves local finiteness of the triangle locus. Four-cycles: continuity of statesFix a four-cycle and relabel its vertices \(0,1,2,3\) in cyclic order, with fifth label \(X\). Let \(L\) be its closed locus and write \[U=\{0,2\},\qquad V=\{1,3\}.\] For \(x\in L\) define the canonical state \(w_x(e)\) as follows: it is \(X\) if \(X\in P_x(e)\), and otherwise it is \(U\) or \(V\) according to which of these two pairs equals \(P_x(e)\). This is exhaustive almost everywhere. A palette not containing \(X\) has size at most two, and (48) excludes every singleton and every adjacent pair of the four-cycle, leaving precisely the two diagonals. The states represent the groups \(\{X\},U,V\) contained in their palettes, and (41) gives \[w_x(e)\ne w_x(Re)\quad\text{almost everywhere}.\] Both diagonal states have positive angular measure. If either were null, the other and \(X\) would give the impossible alternation of Lemma 30. Lemma 32 (Continuity of four-cycle states). For each \(s\in\{X,U,V\}\), the map \(x\mapsto\mathbf 1_{\{w_x=s\}}\) is continuous from \(L\) into \(L^1(S)\). Proof. At each \(y\in L\) choose an avoiding trace \(b_y^{ij}\) for each of its four specified edges. If \(k\) belongs to the group represented by a state \(s\), then \[ \mathbf 1_{\{w_y=s\}} \le\sum_{ij\text{ in the four-cycle}} b^{ij}_{y,k} \quad\text{almost everywhere}. \tag{51}\] To see this, fix a generic direction in state \(s\). If the palette has another member besides \(k\), some cycle edge contains that member but does not contain \(k\). For a diagonal state, choose an edge incident to its other member; for \(k=X\), choose an edge incident to the possible additional label. If no other member exists, any cycle edge suffices. The corresponding trace avoids its edge endpoints and is supported within the palette, so its \(k\)-coordinate equals one. There are only finitely many chosen traces, allowing one common conull set of directions for this argument. Let \(y_n\to x\) in \(L\). Along any subsequence, pass further to weak-* limits of the three state indicators and all four chosen traces. Denote the former limits by \(f_X,f_U,f_V\). The trace limits belong to \(\mathcal W_x\) by its closed-graph property. Inequality (51) passes to the weak-* limits, and its nonnegative right-hand side shows that wherever \(f_s>0\), every label represented by \(s\) belongs to \(P_x\), almost everywhere. Two different state groups would require at least three palette labels, contradicting Proposition 26. Since the \(f_s\) are nonnegative and sum to one, exactly one equals one at almost every direction. Its group determines precisely the canonical state \(w_x\): a diagonal already fills both palette slots, while a positive singleton state requires \(X\in P_x\). Thus \(f_s=\mathbf 1_{\{w_x=s\}}\) almost everywhere. Weak-* convergence of indicators to an indicator implies \(L^1\) convergence: for indicators \(f_n,f\), test against \(1\) and \(f\) in \(\int|f_n-f|=\int f_n+\int f-2\int f_nf\). Every subsequence has a further subsequence with this same \(L^1\) limit, which proves the claimed continuity. ◻ Let \(S_{U,x},S_{V,x}\) be the closed essential supports of the two diagonal states, and put \(N_x=S_{U,x}\cup S_{V,x}\). Both supports are nonempty. Across their nonparallel density directions, the four represented labels force singleton density one of \(X\). Lemma 29 therefore gives a strict margin between each support and its own \(R\)-shift. These margins are uniform along any convergent sequence in \(L\), by Lemma 32 and positivity of both limiting diagonal states. We also have the following consequence of that continuity: \[b\in S_{s,x},\quad y_n\to x\text{ in }L \quad\Longrightarrow\quad \text{there are }b_n\in S_{s,y_n}\text{ with }b_n\to b \quad(s=U,V).\] Indeed, every neighborhood of \(b\) has positive limiting state measure, hence positive state measure at all sufficiently large \(n\). Successively smaller neighborhoods give the sequence. The set \(N_x\) is a proper subset of \(S\). Otherwise a point in the intersection of the two supports would rotate under \(R\) outside both, by their strict separations. The two nonempty supports would therefore have to be disjoint and cover the connected circle, which is impossible. On every component gap of \(S\setminus N_x\) the state is \(X\) almost everywhere. Such a gap has angular length at most \(\kappa\), since an interval of greater length overlaps its \(R\)-translate in an open interval, contrary to the state-change rule. Four-cycles: transport and the accumulation contradictionFor nonparallel \(a,b\in S\) and \(h\) sufficiently small, the local inverse of the sum map defines \[T_h(a,b)=(c,d),\qquad c+d=a+b-h, \qquad (c,d)\text{ near }(a,b).\] It is smooth in the two angular variables and in \(h\), and for fixed \(h\) it is a local diffeomorphism of the angular pair. Its branch at \(h=0\) is the identity. We will use the following support transport rule. If \(y=x+h\in L\) and \(a\in S_{U,x}\), \(b\in S_{V,x}\) are nonparallel, then \[T_h(a,b)\in N_y\times N_y\] whenever the indicated nearby branch is defined. In arbitrarily small product neighborhoods of \((a,b)\) there is a positive-measure set of pairs of density directions for \(U,V\) at \(x\). The spatial sums of every such nonparallel pair have density one of \(X\). The local diffeomorphism \(T_h\) permits removal of all null sets needed to make both output directions density directions of their states at \(y\) and members of the corresponding essential supports. Neither output state can be \(X\): the density consequence of Lemma 22 at \(y\) would then give density zero of \(X\) at the same spatial sum. Both outputs consequently belong to \(N_y\). Approximating the initial support pair by these generic pairs and using closedness proves the rule. It also holds with \(U,V\) interchanged, and in the reverse direction under \(T_{-h}\). All null sets here concern the two fixed centers in a single application; no joint measurability in the center is used. Suppose now that distinct points \(y_n=x+h_n\) of \(L\) tend to \(x\). After a subsequence, write \[\delta_n=|h_n|>0,\qquad H_n=h_n/\delta_n\longrightarrow H\in S.\] Take any endpoint \(a\) of a gap of \(N_x\), first with the gap just to its right in real angular coordinates. It belongs to at least one diagonal support, say \(S_{U,x}\); the other case is symmetric. Assume \(H\cdot a\ne0\). The first output angle of \(T_h(a,b)\) has directional velocity \[V_H(a;b)=-\frac{H\cdot b}{a\times b} =-H\cdot Ja-(H\cdot a)\cot(\arg b-\arg a), \qquad a\times b=\sin(\arg b-\arg a).\] Indeed, differentiating \(c+d=a+b-h\) at \(h=0\) in direction \(H\) gives \(Ja\,\dot\theta+Jb\,\dot\phi=-H\); take the dot product with \(b\). Since \(H\cdot a\ne0\), this velocity takes different values at projectively different nonparallel directions \(b\). The positive measure of the \(V\) state allows choices \(b,b'\in S_{V,x}\), neither parallel to \(a\), with \(V_H(a;b)>V_H(a;b')\). Set \(c_n=T_{h_n}^{1}(a,b)\). By support transport, \(c_n\in N_{y_n}\), and smoothness gives \[\arg c_n=\arg a+\delta_n V_H(a;b)+o(\delta_n).\] If \(c_n\in S_{U,y_n}\) along an infinite subsequence, choose \(b'_n\in S_{V,y_n}\) with \(b'_n\to b'\). Transporting \((c_n,b'_n)\) back by \(T_{-h_n}\) gives a first endpoint in \(N_x\) whose angle is \[\arg a+\delta_n\bigl(V_H(a;b)-V_H(a;b')\bigr)+o(\delta_n).\] This lies strictly inside the gap for large \(n\), a contradiction. To justify the error term without any convergence rate for \(b'_n\), let \(\tau(h,\theta,\beta)\) be a real lift of the first output angle on a fixed branch near \((0,\arg a,\arg b')\). The identity \(\tau(0,\theta,\beta)=\theta\) gives, uniformly on a smaller neighborhood, \[\tau(h,\theta,\beta) =\theta+D_h\tau(0,\theta,\beta)h+O(|h|^2).\] Thus the change in the auxiliary angle \(\beta\) affects only the coefficient multiplied by \(h\). Continuity of that coefficient, \(c_n\to a\), \(b'_n\to b'\), and \(H_n\to H\) give the claimed \(o(\delta_n)\) remainder. It follows that \(c_n\in S_{V,y_n}\) for all large \(n\). The strict separation for \(U\) leaves a neighborhood of \(Ra\) free of \(S_{U,x}\). Immediately to the right of \(a\) the state is \(X\) almost everywhere, so immediately to the right of \(Ra\) it is non-\(X\) almost everywhere. It must therefore be \(V\) on a one-sided neighborhood of \(Ra\), giving \(Ra\in S_{V,x}\). There are points of \(S_{V,y_n}\) tending to \(Ra\). Together with \(c_n\to a\), these violate the uniform strict separation of \(S_{V,y_n}\) from its own \(R\)-shift. For a gap lying to the left of \(a\), choose \(V_H(a;b)<V_H(a;b')\) and repeat the argument on that side. Thus every gap endpoint would have to satisfy \(H\cdot a=0\). There are only two such directions, and they are antipodal. A nonempty gap has distinct endpoints and length at most \(\kappa<\pi\), so its two endpoints cannot both be these directions. This contradiction rules out accumulation in \(L\) and proves local finiteness for the specified four-cycle. Five-cycles: support lists and a global step banFix a five-cycle, labeled in cyclic order by \(\mathbb Z/5\mathbb Z\), and a center \(x\) in its locus. By (48) and Proposition 26, almost every palette is exactly one of its diagonals \[D_i=\{i,i+2\},\qquad i\in\mathbb Z/5\mathbb Z.\] Write \(w_x(e)=i\) for this state. Two such diagonals are disjoint exactly when their indices differ by one, so \[ w_x(Re)=w_x(e)\pm1\pmod5 \quad\text{almost everywhere}. \tag{52}\] Let \(S_i\) be the closed essential support of state \(i\), and let \[S(a)=\{i:a\in S_i\}\qquad(a\in S)\] be its support list. Every list is nonempty, since the finitely many supports cover the circle: an uncovered direction would have a neighborhood on which all five state sets were null. Every nonempty \(S_i\) has strict separation from its own \(R\)-shift. Indeed, state \(i\) then has positive measure, and (52) forces at least one of its adjacent states to have positive measure. Their two disjoint diagonals cover four labels, so Lemma 29 applies. It follows that, for every direction \(a\), \[S(a)\cap S(Ra)=\varnothing.\] Also, each \(i\in S(a)\) has an index adjacent to it in each of \(S(Ra)\) and \(S(R^{-1}a)\). Approach \(a\) by generic directions of state \(i\), use (52), and pass to a constant adjacent index along a subsequence and then to its closed support. Lemma 33 (A support contact bans an angular step). If \(i,i+1\in S(a)\) at any direction \(a\), then the transitions \(i\to i+1\) and \(i+1\to i\) under \(R\) are absent almost everywhere on the entire angular circle at \(x\). Proof. Set \(z=x+a\). There is a trace in \(\mathcal W_z\) avoiding \(D_i\). In fact, in each neighborhood of \(a\) the state-\(i\) set has positive measure. By (36), the two-angle sum map, and Fubini, almost every direction in this set has a typical actual unit-circle sampling at the center \(x\) plus that direction, avoiding \(D_i\) almost everywhere. Choose such directions tending to \(a\) and pass to a weak-* limit. The same construction gives, separately, a trace at \(z\) avoiding \(D_{i+1}\). Consequently, almost everywhere, \[P_z(f)\not\subset D_i,\qquad P_z(f)\not\subset D_{i+1}.\] On the other hand, (37) applied to \(z+f=x+f+a\) gives \(P_z(f)\cap P_x(f)=\varnothing\) almost everywhere. Its first endpoint map is \(f\mapsto f\), a local angular diffeomorphism; its second endpoint is constant, which is permitted. The excluded parallel directions \(f=\pm a\) form a null set. Let \(X\) be the label outside \(D_i\cup D_{i+1}\). Whenever \(w_x(f)=i\), disjointness from \(P_x(f)=D_i\) leaves only \(D_{i+1}\cup\{X\}\) available to \(P_z(f)\), and the avoiding trace for \(D_{i+1}\) forces \(X\in P_z(f)\). The same reasoning applies when \(w_x(f)=i+1\). A step in either order between these states would therefore put \(X\) into both \(P_z(f)\) and \(P_z(Rf)\), contrary to (41). The statements used hold on a common conull set, also after pulling back by \(R\), proving the global step ban. ◻ Five-cycles: the accumulation contradictionSuppose distinct centers \(y_n=x+h_n\) of this same five-cycle locus tend to \(x\). Pass to a subsequence with \(h_n/|h_n|\to H\in S\). For large \(n\), write \[y_n=x+a_n^++a_n^-,\qquad a_n^\pm=\frac{h_n}{2} \pm\sqrt{1-\frac{|h_n|^2}{4}}\,J\frac{h_n}{|h_n|}.\] These are unit directions and are nonparallel for each large \(n\), although their limits are the antipodal pair \(a=JH\) and \(-a\). For either endpoint \(s=a_n^+\) or \(s=a_n^-\), the diagonals in \(S(s)\) have no common label. Suppose instead that every \(D_i\) with \(i\in S(s)\) contained a label \(k\). The finitely many closed supports not containing \(s\) can be excluded by a sufficiently small neighborhood of \(s\). Almost every direction in that neighborhood therefore has \(k\in P_x\). In a product neighborhood of the nonparallel pair \((a_n^+,a_n^-)\), (36) and the local diffeomorphism of the sum map now imply that \(A_k\) has zero area in an open spatial neighborhood of \(y_n\). This contradicts \(y_n\in H_k\), which holds for every label because all five cycle edges are present at \(y_n\). The neighborhoods in this argument may depend on \(n\); no uniform nonparallelness of the endpoint pairs is needed. The no-common-label property passes to \(a\) and \(-a\). In fact, for any fixed direction \(u\), finiteness and closedness of the supports give \(S(v)\subset S(u)\) for every \(v\) in some neighborhood of \(u\). Thus eventually \(S(a_n^+)\subset S(a)\), and intersecting the diagonals over the larger list \(S(a)\) still gives the empty set; likewise at \(-a\). A nonempty index list whose diagonals have empty intersection contains adjacent indices. Otherwise it is an independent set in the index five-cycle, of size at most two, and any two nonadjacent diagonals have a common label. Let \(S^{(r)}=S(R^ra)\) for \(r\in\mathbb Z/6\mathbb Z\). Both \(S^{(0)}\) and \(S^{(3)}\) contain adjacent index pairs. Rotate the label indices so that \(0,1\in S^{(0)}\). Then \[2,4\in S^{(1)}\cap S^{(5)}:\] these lists must avoid \(0,1\) and must contain a neighbor of each, forcing \(4\) for \(0\) and \(2\) for \(1\). If \(j,j+1\in S^{(3)}\), the same argument gives \(j-1,j+2\in S^{(2)}\cap S^{(4)}\). Adjacent position lists are disjoint, so neither of \(j-1,j+2\) can be \(2\) or \(4\). Checking the five possible residues of \(j\) leaves only \(j=1\) or \(j=4\): their pairs \(\{j-1,j+2\}\) are respectively \(\{0,3\}\) and \(\{3,1\}\); each of \(j=0,2,3\) contains \(2\) or \(4\). If \(j=1\), the adjacent pairs at \(a\) and \(-a\) are \(\{0,1\}\) and \(\{1,2\}\), so Lemma 33 bans both possible steps from state \(1\). If \(j=4\), the pairs are \(\{0,1\}\) and \(\{4,0\}\), banning both steps from state \(0\). In either case (52) makes the shared state null, contradicting its membership in \(S^{(0)}\). Only the step bans at the two fixed directions \(a,-a\) have been used, so no union of exceptional null sets over arbitrary directions is involved. This rules out accumulation in the five-cycle locus. Each specified simple-cycle locus is closed and has no accumulation point. Its intersection with a compact set is therefore finite, by compactness. Taking the finite union over all specified simple cycles proves Theorem 31. Extraction of common exclusion continuaContinue to assume that a weak measurable five-coloring is given. We retain the labels \(\mathcal I\) and their closed essential supports \(H_i\). Section 6 supplies the transition graphs \(\Gamma_x\) and the closed locally finite set \(\mathcal L\) of centers where those graphs contain a cycle. We now construct a simple label cycle and one compact connected exclusion set for each edge. The distance exclusions will hold for both endpoint labels. The connected-interface mechanism has a precedent in Sokolov and Voronov (2025, Propositions 1–2), where interfaces come from a regular map. Here the sets will be limits of inverse images under continuous approximations to the weak measurable coloring. For a nonempty compact set \(K\subset\mathbb R^2\), define its open straddling region by \[ \Delta(K)= \left\{z\in\mathbb R^2: \min_{q\in K}|z-q|<1<\max_{q\in K}|z-q| \right\}. \tag{53}\] The two distance extrema are continuous, indeed \(1\)-Lipschitz, as functions of \(z\), so this region is open. Connectedness of \(K\) implies that every point of \(\Delta(K)\) is at unit distance from a point of \(K\). The proposition below gives one such region excluding both labels attached to each edge of a label cycle. Proposition 34 (A cycle of common exclusion continua). For the weak measurable five-coloring under consideration, there exist an integer \(\ell\in\{3,4,5\}\), distinct labels \(i_0,\ldots,i_{\ell-1}\in\mathcal I\), a point \(x\in\mathbb R^2\), and a radius \(\rho>0\) with the following properties. For each edge \(i_ji_{j+1}\) of the simple label cycle, with indices modulo \(\ell\), there are a compact connected set \(K_j\subset\overline{B(x,\rho)}\), a direction \(v_j\in S\), and a sequence \(q_{j,k}\in K_j\setminus\{x\}\) such that
The extracted cycle need not consist of edges of \(\Gamma_x\). The cyclic transition centers determine which small disks remain unfilled in our approximation; the cycle in the proposition comes from a loop of the resulting continuous graph-valued map. We first construct that map by averaging the color indicators and removing disks whose total radii tend to zero. A planar cover obstruction forces a nontrivial loop around one remaining disk. Connected components of the inverse images of its edge midpoints then cross an annulus, and their limits give the sets \(K_j\). Figure 2 illustrates the straddling mechanism for one of these continua. Disk averages and missing edgesWe begin with continuous probability coordinates. Their unit-distance inequality will yield color exclusions from the straddling regions of the limiting sets. Small overlaps for missing transition edges will control the disks removed from the approximation. For \(\epsilon>0\), set \[p_i^\epsilon(q)=\frac1{\pi\epsilon^2} \int_{B(0,\epsilon)}a_i(q+v)\,dv.\] These are continuous probability coordinates: \(p_i^\epsilon\ge0\) and \(\sum_i p_i^\epsilon=1\) everywhere. The symmetric-difference estimate for two disks gives \(\operatorname{Lip}(p_i^\epsilon)\le C/\epsilon\), with an absolute constant \(C\). Approximation by local averages and Lebesgue differentiation give \(p_i^\epsilon\to a_i\) in \(L^1_{\rm loc}\) and almost everywhere as \(\epsilon\downarrow0\). Lemma 35 (Disk inequalities and support detection). For every pair \(q,z\in\mathbb R^2\) with \(|q-z|=1\) and every label \(i\), \[ p_i^\epsilon(q)+p_i^\epsilon(z)\le1. \tag{54}\] If \(q_n\to q\), \(\epsilon_n\to0\), and \(\liminf_n p_i^{\epsilon_n}(q_n)>0\), then \(q\in H_i\). Proof. Translate \(q\) and \(z\) by the same vector uniformly distributed in \(B(0,\epsilon)\). Almost every such translation puts both points in the typical set. They cannot then both have color \(i\); averaging proves (54). Thus this inequality has no exceptional unit pairs. For the last assertion, every neighborhood of \(q\) eventually contains \(B(q_n,\epsilon_n)\), and the stated lower bound makes its intersection with \(A_i\) have positive area. ◻ Lemma 36 (A missing edge has small overlap). If \(ij\notin\Gamma_x\), there is a ball \(B\) about \(x\) such that, for every smaller ball \(B'\) with \(\overline{B'}\subset B\), \[ \int_{B'}p_i^\epsilon(q)p_j^\epsilon(q)\,dq=o(\epsilon). \tag{55}\] For any ball \(B''\) with \(\overline{B''}\subset B'\) and any fixed \(\alpha>0\), the set \[\{q\in B'':p_i^\epsilon(q)>\alpha,\quad p_j^\epsilon(q)>\alpha\}\] can be covered by finitely many open disks whose total radii tend to zero as \(\epsilon\downarrow0\). Every point of the set lies in a disk interior. Proof. The negation of (47), and nonnegativity of \(D_{ij}\), give a ball \(B\) with \(D_{ij}(B,h)=o(|h|)\). More explicitly, for all sufficiently small \(r>0\) put \[\omega(r)=\sup_{0<|h|\le r}\frac{D_{ij}(B,h)}{|h|}; \qquad \omega(r)\longrightarrow0.\] For independent uniform vectors \(h_1,h_2\in B(0,\epsilon)\), expand the product of the two disk averages and integrate over \(q\in B'\). When \(\epsilon<\mathop{\mathrm{dist}}(\overline{B'},\mathbb R^2\setminus B)\), the change of root \(r=q+h_1\) bounds the area where \(c(q+h_1)=i\) and \(c(q+h_2)=j\) by \[D_{ij}(B,h_2-h_1)\le 2\epsilon\omega(2\epsilon).\] For \(h_1=h_2\) the simultaneous event is empty. Fubini now gives (55), with a bound uniform over the two shifts. Take a square grid with side \(\ell=c_\alpha\epsilon\), where \(c_\alpha>0\) is fixed small enough that the Lipschitz oscillation of either probability on a square is at most \(\alpha/2\). Select all squares touching the displayed violation set in \(B''\). Their number \(N_\epsilon\) is finite, and for small \(\epsilon\) each lies in \(B'\) and has both probabilities at least \(\alpha/2\) throughout. Disjointness of their interiors and (55) imply \[N_\epsilon\ell^2\frac{\alpha^2}{4}=o(\epsilon), \qquad N_\epsilon\epsilon=o(1).\] Cover every selected closed square by the open disk with the same center and radius \(\ell\). These disks strictly contain the squares and have total radii \(N_\epsilon\ell=o(1)\). ◻ Graph-valued maps outside small core disksThe preceding overlap bound allows us to remove all simultaneous threshold violations associated with missing edges. Fix \(0<\alpha<1/5\), and define \[ q_i^\epsilon(z)= \frac{(p_i^\epsilon(z)-\alpha)_+} {\sum_{k\in\mathcal I}(p_k^\epsilon(z)-\alpha)_+}, \qquad i\in\mathcal I. \tag{56}\] The denominator is positive because the five probabilities sum to one. Thus \(q^\epsilon\) is a continuous map into the simplex of probability vectors on \(\mathcal I\). Let \(\mathscr G\) be the one-skeleton of that simplex, realized as the complete graph on its five vertices. In particular, \(q_i^\epsilon(z)>0\) if and only if \(p_i^\epsilon(z)>\alpha\). Choose a closed square \(Q\) of side ten with \(\partial Q\cap\mathcal L=\varnothing\). Such a square is obtained by a small translation: local finiteness leaves only finitely many points to avoid near the boundary of all squares in that translation family. Choose a larger closed square \(Q'\) containing \(Q\) in its interior, and write \(L_0=\mathcal L\cap Q'\), a finite set by Theorem 31. Lemma 37 (Small holes and tree fillings). There are \(\epsilon_n\downarrow0\) and finite families \(\mathcal H_n\) of open disks with pairwise disjoint closures such that their total radii tend to zero and the following hold for all sufficiently large \(n\).
Proof. Fix a small \(\delta>0\). Start with the original core disks \(B(x,\delta)\), \(x\in L_0\), and put \[M_\delta=Q'\setminus\bigcup_{x\in L_0}B(x,\delta).\] This is compact, and every \(\Gamma_z\), \(z\in M_\delta\), is a forest, including any isolated vertices. For each nonedge of \(\Gamma_z\), Lemma 36 supplies a ball on which the corresponding simultaneous threshold violations admit finite open disk covers with total radii tending to zero as \(\epsilon\to0\). There are finitely many nonedges, so choose one radius \(s_z>0\) working for all of them. More explicitly, choose it small enough to have the transition estimate on \(B(z,3s_z)\), the integral estimate on \(B(z,2s_z)\), and the disk covers for violations in \(B(z,s_z)\). The covers include the violation points in the interiors of their disks. Choose finitely many balls \(B(z,s_z)\) covering \(M_\delta\), and let \(\lambda_\delta>0\) be a Lebesgue number of this cover on \(M_\delta\). For each selected ball, mark all the disks covering violations for its forest’s nonedges. These additional disks form a finite family whose total radii \(m_{\delta,\epsilon}\) tend to zero for this fixed \(\delta\). At a point of \(M_\delta\) outside all marked disks, the positive coordinates of (56) form a clique in the forest of every selected ball containing the point. They therefore number at most two, and a two-element set is a forest edge. This proves the required local graph-valued assertion. We next merge disks until their closures are pairwise disjoint. Whenever two current disks have intersecting closures, replace them by an open disk strictly containing both closures, with radius at most the sum of their radii plus a prescribed positive error. An enclosing disk with radius at most the sum exists by choosing its center on the line of centers; in the containment case the larger disk suffices. A slight enlargement makes containment strict. Each merge reduces the finite number of disks, so the sum of all enlargement errors can be made less than any specified \(\eta>0\), using the initial number as a bound on the number of merges. A final disk is called core if its merger class contains an original core disk. Every final boundary avoids every original disk interior. The total final radii are at most \[|L_0|\delta+m_{\delta,\epsilon}+\eta,\] and each final non-core radius is at most \(m_{\delta,\epsilon}+\eta\). Take \(\delta_n\downarrow0\). After fixing \(\delta_n\), its finite cover, and its Lebesgue number, choose \(\epsilon_n\) and the merger errors so that \[\epsilon_n<\min\{1/n,\epsilon_{n-1}/2\},\qquad m_{\delta_n,\epsilon_n}+\eta_n <\min\{1/n,\lambda_{\delta_n}/3\},\] omitting the preceding-\(\epsilon\) condition at \(n=1\). The total final radii now tend to zero. For large \(n\), no final disk can contain two distinct points of \(L_0\): its diameter is smaller than their minimum positive separation. Every original core disk belongs to some final disk, so this gives exactly one core disk for each point. Since a disk of radius \(r\) containing \(x\) lies in \(B(x,2r)\), the positive distances between the finitely many points of \(L_0\) and \(\partial Q\) give the asserted positions of the core disks. Consider a final non-core disk whose closure meets \(Q\). Its vanishing diameter puts its entire closed disk inside \(Q'\) for large \(n\). Moreover, its closure is disjoint from every final core closure, and these final core disks contain all the original core disks. It therefore lies outside all original core interiors, hence in \(M_{\delta_n}\). Its diameter is less than \(\lambda_{\delta_n}\), so its entire closed disk lies in one selected forest ball. Its boundary avoids all original marked interiors. The original map \(q^{\epsilon_n}\) thus maps that boundary into the selected forest, and its connected boundary image lies in one component tree, possibly a single vertex. A finite tree is contractible, so the boundary map extends continuously over the closed disk with values in that tree. If the disk crosses \(\partial Q\), make the extension on the whole disk and restrict it to \(Q\). Outside all final open disks, every point of \(Q\) belongs to \(M_{\delta_n}\) and avoids all original marked disks, so the original map is graph-valued there. Paste it to the finitely many tree extensions. Their closed disks have disjoint closures and agree with the original map on their boundaries, so finite pasting proves (57). Empty disk lists require no operation. ◻ A nontrivial core boundaryWe will repeatedly use the following area estimate. For a closed disk \(\overline{B(u,r)}\) with \(r<1\), every point at distance one from some point of that disk belongs to \[E(u,r)=\{z:1-r\le |z-u|\le1+r\}.\] The triangle inequality proves this containment, and the annulus has area \(4\pi r\). For the families in Lemma 37, write \[ E_n=\bigcup_{B(u,r)\in\mathcal H_n}E(u,r), \qquad |E_n|\le4\pi\sum_{B(u,r)\in\mathcal H_n}r\longrightarrow0. \tag{58}\] Here all radii are less than one for large \(n\). If \(z\notin E_n\), no exact unit-distance point from \(z\) lies in any closed hole disk, regardless of how many disks there are. Lemma 38 (A cover obstruction on a square). A closed square of side ten has no relatively open cover of multiplicity at most two and mesh at most two, where mesh is the supremum of the Euclidean diameters of its members. Proof. Compactness gives a finite subcover \(U_1,\ldots,U_N\) with the same bounds. Choose \(z_a\in U_a\). There is a continuous partition of unity \(\phi_a\) with \(\phi_a(z)>0\) only when \(z\in U_a\); explicitly, use \(\mathop{\mathrm{dist}}(z,Q\setminus U_a)\) and normalize their sum. None of the \(U_a\) equals \(Q\), since its diameter would exceed two, so these distance functions are well defined. Set \[F(z)=\sum_{a=1}^N\phi_a(z)z_a.\] Convexity gives \(F(Q)\subset Q\). At most two weights are positive at any point, so the image is contained in the finite union of segments \([z_a,z_b]\) and singleton vertices. Also \[|F(z)-z| \le\sum_a\phi_a(z)|z_a-z|\le2.\] For any \(y\in Q\) with \(\mathop{\mathrm{dist}}(y,\partial Q)>2\), the continuous map \(z\mapsto y+z-F(z)\) takes \(Q\) into \(Q\), since its image lies in the closed radius-two disk about \(y\). The Brouwer fixed point theorem, in its planar form (Hatcher 2002, Theorem 1.9), therefore supplies a fixed point, and at that point \(F(z)=y\). Thus \(F(Q)\) contains the nonempty open central region \(\{y\in Q:\mathop{\mathrm{dist}}(y,\partial Q)>2\}\), impossible for a finite union of segments. ◻ Lemma 39 (Non-null core loops). For all sufficiently large \(n\), some core disk \(B_{n,x}\) contained in \(Q\) has a boundary loop whose image under \(g_n\) is not null homotopic in \(\mathscr G\). Proof. Otherwise, along an infinite subsequence all the core boundary loops are null homotopic. Extend each such loop over its disk in \(\mathscr G\), and paste to obtain a continuous map \(\widetilde g_n:Q\to\mathscr G\), still equal to \(q^{\epsilon_n}\) outside all holes. For each \(i\in\mathcal I\), take the components of the relatively open set \[U_{n,i}=\{z\in Q:(\widetilde g_n(z))_i>0\}.\] The square and its relatively open subsets are locally path connected; hence these components are open and path connected. They form a cover of \(Q\) of multiplicity at most two, since every point of \(\mathscr G\) has at most two positive coordinates. We claim that the mesh of this component cover is at most \(1+o(1)\). If not, after restricting to a subsequence there are a fixed constant \(c>0\), a fixed label \(i\), and paths in \(U_{n,i}\) joining points at distance greater than \(1+c\). Replace either endpoint lying in a hole by a boundary point on the path. The path must exit that disk because the other endpoint is distant, and the replacement changes the endpoint by at most the disk’s diameter. If both endpoints require replacement, their disks are distinct for large \(n\). On every hole boundary the original map is preserved. Thus the replacement endpoints \(a_n,b_n\) satisfy \[p_i^{\epsilon_n}(a_n)>\alpha,\qquad p_i^{\epsilon_n}(b_n)>\alpha\] and remain at distance at least \(1+c-o(1)\). Pass to limits \(a_n\to a\), \(b_n\to b\) in \(Q\), with \(|a-b|>1\). Lemma 35 gives \(a\in H_i\). Choose a sufficiently small fixed open plane ball \(U\) about \(a\). For all large \(n\) and every \(z\in U\), the distances to \(a_n\) and \(b_n\) are strictly below and strictly above one, respectively. Continuity along the path supplies a point at exact distance one from \(z\). If \(z\notin E_n\), every such crossing point is outside all closed hole disks by (58). At this point \(\widetilde g_n=q^{\epsilon_n}\) and its \(i\)th coordinate is positive, so \(p_i^{\epsilon_n}>\alpha\). The pointwise inequality (54) therefore gives \(p_i^{\epsilon_n}(z)\le1-\alpha\). It follows that \[ \alpha |A_i\cap U| \le \lVert p_i^{\epsilon_n}-a_i\rVert_{L^1(U)} +\alpha|E_n\cap U| \longrightarrow0. \tag{59}\] The convergence uses local \(L^1\) convergence of disk averages and (58). This contradicts \(a\in H_i\), which requires positive \(A_i\)-measure in \(U\). The mesh claim follows. For large \(n\) the mesh is therefore at most two, contradicting Lemma 38. This argument also rules out the possibility of having no core disks in \(Q\). ◻ Graph words and annular crossingsWe now have a graph-valued map with a non-null loop around a core disk. To turn that loop into connected crossing sets, we identify edge midpoints that every homotopic loop must meet. We first recall the reduced-path argument for graphs; compare Hatcher (2002, sec. 1.A). Lemma 40 (Midpoint detection by a reduced circuit). Let \(G\) be a finite connected simple graph. Every nontrivial free homotopy class of loops in \(G\) has a nonempty cyclically reduced closed edge word \(W\). Such a word contains a simple cycle. Moreover, if \(m\) is the midpoint of any edge occurring in \(W\), every loop freely homotopic to a nonzero power of \(W\) meets \(m\). Proof. An edge path is reduced when consecutive edges never reverse each other, and a reduced closed edge path is cyclically reduced when its last and first edges do not reverse each other either. Paths between vertices, up to homotopy fixing their endpoints, have unique reduced edge representatives. One way to see this is to construct the covering tree based at a vertex \(v\): its vertices are reduced paths starting at \(v\), and its edges append one edge and then reduce. Deleting the last edge gives the unique path toward the empty word, so this covering graph is a tree. The map recording the endpoint is a bijection on each incident-edge star and hence a covering map. Lifting a path to this tree and contracting it to the unique simple path between its lifted endpoints proves existence and uniqueness of the reduced representative. These contractions apply to arbitrary continuous paths: their compact images in the locally finite covering tree lie in finite subtrees. Move a loop’s basepoint to a vertex along a path, reduce its edge word, and successively trim inverse first and last edges. The result is cyclically reduced and is empty precisely when the loop is null homotopic. Moving the basepoint, or following the basepoint during a free homotopy, changes the based class by conjugation. We record how conjugation affects a nonempty cyclically reduced word. First reduce the conjugating path \(P\) in \(PWP^{-1}\). At the last edge of \(P\), cancellation against one end of \(W\) shortens \(P\) and moves one edge of \(W\) to its other end. This only rotates \(W\) cyclically. Cancellation at both ends of \(W\) at once is impossible because \(W\) is cyclically reduced. If there is no cancellation at either end, the conjugating path is simply removed when the whole closed word is cyclically trimmed. Induction on the length of \(P\) shows that conjugation leaves the cyclically reduced circuit unchanged up to cyclic rotation. A nonzero power of \(W\) is already cyclically reduced: concatenate copies of \(W\) for a positive power, or copies of its reversed inverse for a negative power. Its cyclic reduction therefore uses every edge of \(W\). On the other hand, \(G\setminus\{m\}\) deformation retracts onto the graph with the edge containing \(m\) deleted: contract its two remaining half-open stubs to their endpoint vertices. A loop avoiding \(m\) consequently has a reduced circuit using no such edge, and cannot be freely homotopic to a nonzero power of \(W\). Finally, take a shortest nonempty subloop between repeated vertices of \(W\). It has no repeated interior vertex. Its length is not one, since \(G\) has no loop edges, and is not two, since that would be an immediate reversal in a simple graph. Thus it is a simple cycle. ◻ Lemma 41 (A connected midpoint preimage crosses the annulus). Let \(B\) be an open disk containing \(x\), with \(\overline B\subset B(x,\rho)\), and set \(\mathcal A=\overline{B(x,\rho)}\setminus B\). Suppose \(g:\mathcal A\to G\) is continuous, where \(G\) is a finite connected simple graph, and the image of the counterclockwise inner boundary has nonempty cyclically reduced word \(W\). If \(m\) is the midpoint of an edge occurring in \(W\), then \(g^{-1}(\{m\})\) has a compact connected component meeting both boundary circles of \(\mathcal A\). Proof. Every ray from \(x\) meets \(\partial B\) once, at a positive radius \(r(\theta)\) depending continuously on the angle. Radial interpolation between \(r(\theta)\) and \(\rho\) identifies \(\mathcal A\) with a closed annulus. In particular, winding number about \(x\) identifies its fundamental group with \(\mathbb Z\), with the counterclockwise inner boundary as generator. Put \(Z=g^{-1}(\{m\})\). This is a compact metric space. Suppose no component of \(Z\) meets both boundaries, and write \(I=Z\cap\partial B\) and \(O=Z\cap\partial B(x,\rho)\) for its compact inner and outer contact sets. We first obtain a disjoint compact partition \(Z=Z_1\sqcup Z_2\) with \(I\subset Z_1\) and \(O\subset Z_2\). In any compact metric space, a point’s component is the intersection of all of its clopen neighborhoods. Indeed, this intersection contains the component. If it were disconnected, its two nonempty compact parts could be enclosed in disjoint open sets. A finite intersection of clopen neighborhoods already lies in their union, by compactness of the complement of that union. Intersecting this clopen set with the open set containing the original point gives a smaller clopen neighborhood omitting the other part, a contradiction. The intersection is therefore connected and equals the component. Thus, for each point of \(I\) and each point of \(O\), some clopen neighborhood of the first omits the second. Compactness of \(O\) permits a finite intersection producing a clopen neighborhood of the first point disjoint from all of \(O\). Compactness of \(I\) then permits a finite union containing all of \(I\) and still disjoint from \(O\). Take this union as \(Z_1\) and its complement in \(Z\) as \(Z_2\). If either \(I\) or \(O\) is empty, use \(Z_1=\varnothing\) or \(Z_1=Z\), respectively. This proves the partition assertion. The set \[C_1=Z_1\cup\overline B\] is compact, lies in the open outer disk, and is disjoint from \(Z_2\). Choose a sufficiently fine translated square grid, with \(x\) on no grid line, and take every closed grid cell meeting \(C_1\). Their finite union \(V\) lies in the open outer disk and avoids \(Z_2\), by the positive compact separations. Also \(C_1\subset\operatorname{int}(V)\): at a point of \(C_1\) on a grid edge or vertex, all adjacent cells are included. Consequently \(\partial V\) lies in \(\mathcal A\) and avoids \(Z_1\cup Z_2=Z\). Orient each selected square boundary counterclockwise and cancel shared edges. The remaining edges lie on \(\partial V\) and form a balanced finite directed chain, so they decompose into closed polygonal loops. Their total winding about \(x\) is one. Indeed, winding is additive before and after cancellation, and exactly one selected square contains \(x\) in its interior; its winding is one and that of every other selected square is zero. At least one of the resulting loops has nonzero winding, say \(d\). Its image under \(g\) avoids \(m\), but the annulus calculation makes that image freely homotopic to \(W^d\). This contradicts Lemma 40. ◻ Limiting continua and simultaneous color exclusionsProof of Proposition 34. Use the maps of Lemma 37 and the non-null loops from Lemma 39. Since \(L_0\cap Q\) is finite, pass to a subsequence with a fixed \(x\in L_0\cap\operatorname{int}(Q)\) whose core boundary loop is non-null at every index. Choose \(\rho>0\) so small that \(\overline{B(x,\rho)}\subset\operatorname{int}(Q)\) and contains no other point of \(L_0\). Decreasing \(\rho\) if necessary, the other core closed disks are disjoint from \(\overline{B(x,\rho)}\) for large \(n\), while \(\overline{B_{n,x}}\subset B(x,\rho)\). The map \(g_n\) is therefore defined on the closed annulus \[\mathcal A_n=\overline{B(x,\rho)}\setminus B_{n,x}.\] The inner disk contains \(x\) strictly; its possibly eccentric position causes no difficulty for the radial annulus coordinates used in Lemma 41. Let \(W_n\) be a nonempty cyclically reduced circuit representing the image of the counterclockwise inner boundary. By Lemma 40, it contains a simple cycle. There are only finitely many simple cycles in the complete graph on five vertices. Pass to a subsequence with one chosen cycle, of length \(\ell\in\{3,4,5\}\), and label its vertices \(i_0,\ldots,i_{\ell-1}\) in cyclic order. For each of its edge midpoints \(m_j\), Lemma 41 gives a compact connected component \[K_{n,j}\subset g_n^{-1}(\{m_j\})\cap\mathcal A_n\] meeting both annulus boundaries. Take Hausdorff limits along a common further subsequence for the finitely many indices \(j\): \[K_{n,j}\longrightarrow K_j\subset\overline{B(x,\rho)}.\] The nonempty compact subsets of a compact metric space are compact in the Hausdorff metric. For completeness, finite nets give total boundedness of this hyperspace, and for a Hausdorff-Cauchy sequence the set of limits of convergent point selections is its nonempty compact Hausdorff limit, proving completeness. Connectedness also passes to the limit: a disconnection of \(K_j\) into two nonempty compact parts gives disjoint separated neighborhoods containing every sufficiently close \(K_{n,j}\), with each neighborhood met, contradicting connectedness of \(K_{n,j}\). Each \(K_{n,j}\) meets \(\partial B_{n,x}\). These contact points tend to \(x\), because the disk contains \(x\) and its diameter tends to zero. Hence \(x\in K_j\). Outer-boundary contact and compactness likewise give \(K_j\cap\partial B(x,\rho)\ne\varnothing\). In particular each \(K_j\) is nontrivial. We prove the support exclusion for either endpoint \(i\in\{i_j,i_{j+1}\}\). At a point of \(K_{n,j}\) outside all holes, \(g_n=q^{\epsilon_n}\) has value \(m_j\), whose two endpoint coordinates are \(1/2\). Formula (56) therefore gives \(p_i^{\epsilon_n}>\alpha\) there. Fix any closed ball \(U\) of positive radius contained in \(\Delta(K_j)\). The strict inequalities defining the straddling region hold with a positive uniform margin on \(U\). For every \(z\), either distance extremum changes by at most \(d_{\rm H}(K_{n,j},K_j)\) when \(K_j\) is replaced by \(K_{n,j}\). Thus, for all sufficiently large \(n\), the distances from every \(z\in U\) to points of \(K_{n,j}\) straddle one. The continuous image of the connected set \(K_{n,j}\) under \(q\mapsto|z-q|\) is an interval, so some point of \(K_{n,j}\) is at exact distance one from \(z\). For \(z\in U\setminus E_n\), that point is outside every closed hole disk. The preceding endpoint probability bound and (54) give \(p_i^{\epsilon_n}(z)\le1-\alpha\). Exactly as in (59), \[\alpha |A_i\cap U| \le \lVert p_i^{\epsilon_n}-a_i\rVert_{L^1(U)} +\alpha |E_n\cap U|\longrightarrow0.\] Thus \(A_i\) has zero measure in \(U\). Every point of the open set \(\Delta(K_j)\) lies in the interior of such a ball, and consequently has a neighborhood of zero \(A_i\)-measure. By the definition of \(H_i\), this proves \(H_i\cap\Delta(K_j)=\varnothing\) for both endpoint labels. Finally, connectedness and the two contact conditions imply \[\{|q-x|:q\in K_j\}=[0,\rho].\] Choose points in \(K_j\) at radii \(\rho/k\), \(k\ge2\), and pass to a subsequence of their unit directions converging to some \(v_j\in S\). Relabel these points as \(q_{j,k}\). They supply the required sequences and complete the proof. ◻ Angular obstructions and the final contradictionWe now show that none of the three cycle lengths supplied by Proposition 34 is possible. Fix its common center \(x\), cyclically index the cycle labels by \(j\), and let edge \(j\) join labels \(j\) and \(j+1\). Write \(K_j\) for its continuum and \(v_j\) for its limiting unit direction. Thus there are points \[q_{j,n}=x+r_{j,n}w_{j,n}\in K_j,\qquad r_{j,n}>0,\quad r_{j,n}\longrightarrow0,\quad w_{j,n}\in S,\quad w_{j,n}\longrightarrow v_j.\] The rays used below record only these selected limiting directions \(v_j\); no straight ray segment is assumed to lie in \(K_j\). All palettes in this section are at this fixed center. As before, \(R\) rotates by \(\kappa=\pi/3\), and \(J\) by \(\pi/2\). Restrictions on the two sides of the unit circleThe one-sided strips below are a counterpart of the complementary-color strips in Sokolov and Voronov (2025, Proposition 9). Related circle and complementary-arc arguments also occur in Voronov (2025, secs. 3–5), for a positive interval of forbidden distances. We use only the single forbidden distance one; the input is the exclusion continua just extracted. Let \(\mathcal B\subset S\) be the finite, antipodally symmetric set of directions perpendicular to at least one \(v_j\). At \(e\notin\mathcal B\), give edge \(j\) sign \(+\) or \(-\) according as \(e\cdot v_j\) is positive or negative. Let \(O(e)\) be the set of labels remaining after the endpoints of every positive edge are removed, and let \(I(e)\) be the set remaining after the endpoints of every negative edge are removed. Labels outside the cycle belong to both sets. Lemma 42 (One-sided strip restrictions). Both \(O(e)\) and \(I(e)\) are nonempty for every \(e\notin\mathcal B\). On an angular neighborhood of \(e\), an open strip just outside radius one uses only \(O(e)\), and an open strip just inside radius one uses only \(I(e)\), in both cases up to plane-null sets. Moreover, \[ P_x(e)\cap O(e)\ne\varnothing, \qquad P_x(e)\cap I(e)\ne\varnothing \quad\text{for almost every }e\in S\setminus\mathcal B. \tag{60}\] Proof. For a positive edge sign, the identity \[\lvert x+e-q_{j,n}\rvert^2 =1+r_{j,n}^2-2r_{j,n}(e\cdot w_{j,n})\] is strictly less than one for some sufficiently large fixed \(n\). By continuity, the strict inequality holds when \(e\) varies in a small angular neighborhood and its radius increases slightly above one. Such points have distance greater than one from \(x\in K_j\) and less than one from \(q_{j,n}\in K_j\); they lie in \(\Delta(K_j)\). Proposition 34 excludes both endpoint essential supports there. If the sign is negative, the displayed distance is greater than one for large \(n\), and the same argument at radii slightly below one gives the inner strip. There are finitely many edges, so the angular neighborhoods and positive radial widths can be intersected. An empty allowed set would exclude every color from a nonempty open strip, contrary to the measurable partition. Cover \(S\setminus\mathcal B\) by countably many smaller arcs on each of which all signs are constant and both strip restrictions hold with positive widths. For each such arc, polar-coordinate Fubini gives the relevant restriction almost everywhere angularly for almost every radius in its permitted interval. Impose no condition from that arc outside its permitted interval; its failures then exclude only a null set from the whole radial half-line. Intersect these countably many full-measure radial conditions with the full-measure condition of typical sampling at center \(x\). Choose radii from this intersection tending to one from above. For each fixed arc the outer restriction eventually holds along the entire sequence. A weak-* subsequential trace in \(\mathcal W_x\) has zero coordinates for the excluded labels on that arc. Its coordinates sum to one, and its positive coordinates belong to \(P_x\) almost everywhere, so it supplies an outer allowed palette member. Countably many arcs suffice. A separate sequence tending to one from below proves the inner assertion. The two sides need not use the same trace. ◻ Exclusion of a five-cycleProposition 43. The extracted interface cycle cannot have length five. Proof. Index its five labels modulo five. A label belongs to \(I(e)\) exactly when its two incident signs are positive, and to \(O(e)\) exactly when both are negative. Their nonemptiness requires a pair of consecutive signs of each kind. If there were two or more runs of each kind, the two required runs of length at least two and the other two nonempty runs would occupy at least six positions. Thus the five signs consist of one positive run and one negative run, of lengths two and three in some order. The allowed sets are the internal vertices of these runs, of sizes one and two. They are disjoint. The palette size bound (46) and (60) imply that almost every palette is a pair, containing one vertex from each allowed set. Put \(D_i=\{i,i+2\}\). After a cyclic relabeling, the length-two run occupies edges \(0,1\), with middle vertex \(1\), and the length-three run occupies edges \(2,3,4\), with internal vertices \(3,4\). The two possible palettes are therefore \(D_1=\{1,3\}\) and \(D_4=\{4,1\}\), whose indices differ by two modulo five. Reversing every sign interchanges the two allowed sets and preserves these options. Consequently the palette options at antipodal directions are identical. Choose a direction on a full six-position \(R\)-orbit for which all the preceding almost-everywhere assertions and (41) hold. Write \(p_j\in\mathbb Z/5\mathbb Z\) for the index of its palette \(D_{p_j}\) at \(R^je\). Two diagonals \(D_a,D_b\) are disjoint exactly when \(b-a=\pm1\) modulo five. Thus successive indices make steps \(\varepsilon_j\in\{1,-1\}\), including the closing step from position five to position zero. For antipodal positions \(j,j+3\), the common two-element option set allows index difference only \(0\) or \(\pm2\). But the possible sums of three steps are \(-3,-1,1,3\); none is zero modulo five, and a sum is \(\pm2\) modulo five only if all three steps have the same sign. Every consecutive triple of steps must therefore be constant. Overlapping triples force all six signs to agree, whereas six equal steps do not close modulo five. This is the desired contradiction. ◻ Four-cycle words and projective ray geometrySuppose next that the cycle labels are \(0,1,2,3\), with outsider \(X\), and put \(U=\{0,2\}\), \(V=\{1,3\}\). If \(X\notin P_x(e)\), the two requirements in (60) force a consecutive pair of positive signs and a consecutive pair of negative signs. Hence the four signs are a cyclic run of two of each sign, which we call a split. The two allowed sets, after removing \(X\), are the opposite middle vertices of the runs. They determine a diagonal \(d(e)\in\{U,V\}\), and \(d(-e)=d(e)\). Define the effective state \(p(e)\) to be \(X\) whenever \(X\in P_x(e)\), and otherwise to be the forced diagonal \(d(e)\). The group represented by this state is contained in the palette: it is the singleton \(\{X\}\) in the first case and the entire diagonal in the second. Consequently, \[ p(e)\ne p(Re),\qquad p(e)=p(-e)\ \text{if both states are different from }X, \quad\text{almost everywhere}. \tag{61}\] If a diagonal occurs only on a null set, the remaining singleton-versus-pair state system contradicts Lemma 30; a single remaining state already contradicts the first assertion in (61). We may therefore suppose that both diagonal states have positive angular measure. For a nonparallel pair of density-one directions of the \(U\) and \(V\) state sets, the density conclusion of Lemma 22 excludes all four cycle labels at their sum with \(x\). That sum has density one of \(X\). Lemma 29 now applies to these three represented groups. If \(F_U,F_V\) denote the compact angular essential supports of the diagonal state sets, then \[F_D\cap RF_D=\varnothing\qquad(D=U,V).\] The same holds for \(R^{-1}\). Compactness provides a common positive angular separation margin. Choose a dense conull set \(G\) of angular parameters, invariant under addition of \(\kappa\), on which all six orbit positions avoid \(\mathcal B\), satisfy the state rules, and belong to \(F_U\) or \(F_V\) whenever the respective state occurs. Define \[w(t)_j=p(e^{i(t+j\kappa)}),\qquad j\in\mathbb Z/6\mathbb Z, \quad t\in G.\] There exists \(\eta>0\) such that whenever \(t,t'\in G\) have circular angular distance less than \(\eta\), a diagonal at any position of \(w(t)\) cannot equal a diagonal at an adjacent position of \(w(t')\). Indeed, such equality would give points of the same compact essential support at angular distance less than the margin from an \(R\)- or \(R^{-1}\)-pair. We refer to this as the cross-word restriction. Lemma 44 (Six-position word alternatives). Every word \(w(t)\) contains \(X\), and all its \(X\) positions have the same parity. Every direction outside \(\mathcal B\) is split. Proof. A word without \(X\) alternates \(U,V\) by adjacent inequality, contradicting the antipodal equality in (61). Suppose that \(X\) occurs on both parities. Any pair of its opposite-parity positions must be antipodal, since otherwise they are adjacent on the six-cycle. There are exactly two such occurrences: fixing one on each parity prevents any additional occurrence on either parity. Cyclically shift them to positions zero and three. Positions one and two are distinct non-\(X\) states, and their antipodes four and five have the same respective values. Thus the word is a three-periodic permutation of \(X,U,V\). Such a word is isolated under the cross-word restriction. In any compatible nearby word, each of its positions zero and three has neighbors \(U,V\) in the original word; it must therefore be \(X\). The remaining four positions are non-\(X\) by their own adjacent inequality. If the original positions one and two are \(U,V\), the cross-word restrictions against position two and position one, respectively, force the new positions one and two to be \(U,V\); the other block is forced in the same way. Hence the new word is identical. Any two points of a dense subset of the circle can be joined by a finite chain within that subset whose steps have angular distance less than \(\eta\): subdivide a connecting arc into steps smaller than \(\eta/3\) and approximate its intermediate vertices by points of the dense set. Isolation would therefore propagate this word throughout \(G\). But \(w(t+\kappa)_j=w(t)_{j+1}\), and a three-periodic permutation word is not equal to its one-position shift. Since \(G\) is shift invariant, this is impossible. It follows that the nonempty set of \(X\) positions has a unique parity, denoted \(h(t)\in\mathbb Z/2\mathbb Z\). The three positions of the other parity are non-\(X\), hence split. They contain one representative from each antipodal pair of positions. Since splitting is antipodally invariant, all six positions are split. In particular almost every direction is split. Signs are locally constant outside the finite set \(\mathcal B\). A nonsplit direction there would have a nonsplit open neighborhood of positive measure, which is impossible. ◻ Lemma 45 (Geometry of four split rays). Under the conclusions of Lemma 44, the four rays consist of two distinct antipodal pairs. Opposite directions occupy opposite edge positions. On the projective angular circle of circumference \(\pi\), the forced diagonal \(d\) equals \(U\) on one open arc and \(V\) on its complementary open arc. One of these arcs has length at most \(\pi/2\). Proof. Every generic open semicircle \(\{v:e\cdot v>0\}\) selects exactly two rays, counted with multiplicity, and the selected edge positions are adjacent. At a boundary perpendicular to one unoriented ray line, cross the boundary without crossing any other such boundary. The selected multiplicity on that line changes from the number of its rays in one direction to the number in the opposite direction; all other selections stay fixed. Equality of the total count before and after shows that these two multiplicities coincide. Thus all rays are antipodally paired. If only one unoriented line occurs, it has two rays in each direction. The selected edge positions are a fixed adjacent pair or its complement. These two split patterns give the same diagonal. The other diagonal could not occur on a set of positive measure, contrary to our assumption. There are therefore two distinct lines, with one ray in each of their two directions. A specified ray on one line can be positive simultaneously with either ray on the other line: the corresponding two nonopposite unit directions fit in an open semicircle. Its edge position is consequently adjacent to both positions from the other line. In a four-cycle the remaining position is its opposite, so its antipodal ray occupies the opposite edge position. This applies to both lines. Modulo antipodes, the two perpendicular boundaries divide the angular circle into two open arcs. The signs, up to global reversal, are constant on each arc. Crossing a boundary replaces one selected edge by its opposite while keeping the selected edge from the other line. The two middle vertices of the resulting split are the other diagonal. Thus the forced diagonal takes the two different values on the two arcs. Their lengths sum to \(\pi\), which proves the last assertion. ◻ Proposition 46. The extracted interface cycle cannot have length four. Proof. Suppose \(t,t'\in G\) are less than \(\eta\) apart and \(h(t)\ne h(t')\). Select the three positions opposite to the \(X\) parity in \(w(t)\), and the other three positions opposite to the \(X\) parity in \(w(t')\). All selected states are diagonals; around the six positions they alternate between the two words. Cross-word adjacent states differ. Since only \(U,V\) are available, all three selected entries of the first word have one diagonal value, and all three of the second have the other value. For either word the three selected directions, projected modulo antipodes, are spaced equally by \(\kappa\). Each is a non-\(X\) direction, so the forced diagonal there is its selected value. Both of the open diagonal arcs in Lemma 45 would therefore contain three equally spaced projective positions. An open arc containing such three positions has length greater than \(2\pi/3\): its closed complementary arc avoids the three points, so lies strictly inside one of the three gaps and has length less than \(\pi/3\). This contradicts the diagonal arc of length at most \(\pi/2\). Thus \(h\) agrees at all sufficiently close points of \(G\). The dense-set chain argument from Lemma 44 makes it constant on \(G\). Yet shifting by \(\kappa\) shifts every word by one position and reverses this parity. The shift invariance of \(G\) gives a contradiction. ◻ Triangle interfaces force alternating sectorsIt remains to consider a triangle cycle. Call its labels the triangle labels, and write \(X,Y\) for the outsiders. At every \(e\notin\mathcal B\), two of the three edge signs agree. Those two edges cover all three triangle labels. Lemma 42 therefore provides an open strip on an angular neighborhood of \(e\), approaching radius one from one side, which uses only \(X,Y\) almost everywhere. Equation (60) gives an outsider in \(P_x(e)\) almost everywhere. There cannot be two outsiders in such a palette, since (41) would leave no outsider at \(Re\). We obtain a measurable binary state \[s(e)\in\{X,Y\},\qquad s(Re)\ne s(e) \quad\text{almost everywhere}.\] The use of two complementary colors near a unit circle has a predecessor in Townsend’s annulus argument (Townsend 2005, Theorems 1 and 4); here the restrictions hold almost everywhere and need not form an annulus. The next lemma extracts local constancy directly from the open strips. Lemma 47 (Local binary rigidity). If \(e_0,Re_0\notin\mathcal B\), then \(s\) is almost everywhere constant on an angular neighborhood of \(e_0\). Proof. Let \(\mathcal U,\mathcal V\) be the open strips restricted to \(X,Y\) near \(e_0,Re_0\), respectively. Each approaches radius one from its prescribed side, and these sides may differ. Put \(z_0=x+e_0\). There are two nonparallel unit directions \(v'_1,v'_2\) such that \(z_0+v'_j\in\mathcal V\). To verify this, rotate so \(e_0=1\) and consider \[F(r,\theta)=\lvert r e^{i\theta}-1\rvert^2-1 =r^2-2r\cos\theta.\] At \((1,\pi/3)\), \(F=0\) and \(\partial_\theta F=\sqrt3\ne0\). The implicit function theorem permits \(r\) to move onto either desired radial side while \(\theta\) stays in the angular arc of \(\mathcal V\). This gives a point strictly inside \(\mathcal V\) at unit distance from \(z_0\). Openness then gives an open set of such unit directions, containing two nonparallel choices. Choose a smaller connected polar product strip \(\mathcal U'\subset\mathcal U\), still approaching radius one on an angular neighborhood of \(e_0\), close enough to \(z_0\) that \(q+v'_1,q+v'_2\in\mathcal V\) for every \(q\in\mathcal U'\). We claim that \(c\) is almost everywhere constant on \(\mathcal U'\). Fix a point of \(\mathcal U'\). On a sufficiently small ball around it, all starting points \(q\) and sufficiently small shifts \(h\) admit the following construction inside \(\mathcal U\) and \(\mathcal V\). Since \(Jv'_1,Jv'_2\) form a basis, write \(h=t_1Jv'_1+t_2Jv'_2\), with coefficients linear in \(h\). Move first by \(t_1Jv'_1\) and then by \(t_2Jv'_2\). For either move, starting at \(q'\) and using \(t=t_j\), \(v'=v'_j\), its two endpoints in \(\mathcal U\) have the common unit neighbor \[ q'+\frac{t}{2}Jv'+\sqrt{1-t^2/4}\,v'\in\mathcal V. \tag{62}\] The two distances are one because \(v'\) and \(Jv'\) are orthogonal unit vectors. Smallness keeps \(\lvert t\rvert<2\) and every constructed point in the stated open set. The combined path has four unit edges, with repetitions allowed. Fix such an \(h\). Every vertex of the path is a translation of \(q\), so for almost every starting point all five vertices are typical and have colors in \(\{X,Y\}\). Typical-point properness makes the colors alternate along the path. Consequently \(c(q)=c(q+h)\) for almost every \(q\) in the small ball, for each fixed permissible \(h\). All path maps are jointly measurable in \((q,h)\): the coefficients are linear and the square-root terms continuous. Fubini gives this equality for almost every \((q,h)\). In a still smaller ball, every ordered pair \((q,q')\) has \(q'-q\) within the permissible shift range; the invertible change \((q,h)\mapsto(q,q+h)\) shows that almost every pair in that ball has equal colors. Choosing one typical first point by Fubini proves local essential constancy of \(c\). The sets of points of \(\mathcal U'\) with local essential color \(X\), or local essential color \(Y\), are disjoint open sets covering \(\mathcal U'\); they are disjoint because overlapping open neighborhoods have positive area. Connectedness forces just one of these sets to be nonempty. A countable subcover of monochromatic neighborhoods then shows that \(\mathcal U'\) uses one color almost everywhere. Finally choose typical radial samplings at \(x\) tending to one from the side of \(\mathcal U'\). Polar Fubini ensures that the samples equal this color almost everywhere on its angular arc. A weak-* trace puts that outsider in \(P_x\) almost everywhere on the arc. It is the unique outsider there, so \(s\) is essentially constant near \(e_0\), as asserted. ◻ Lemma 48 (The boundary is one orbit). The essential boundary of \(s\) consists of exactly one six-position \(R\)-orbit. Its complementary sectors have angle \(\pi/3\), with alternating essential values \(X,Y\). Proof. Let \(E_s\) be the set of directions at which \(s\) is not almost everywhere constant on any open neighborhood. Its complement is open, so \(E_s\) is closed. If it were empty, local essential constancy and connectedness of the circle, followed by a countable subcover, would make \(s\) globally constant almost everywhere. The flip under \(R\) excludes this. That same almost-everywhere flip transports local essential constancy in both directions, so \(E_s\) is \(R\)-invariant. Consider any six-position orbit contained in \(E_s\). By Lemma 47, every consecutive pair in it has at least one vertex in \(\mathcal B\). Because \(\mathcal B\) is antipodally symmetric, project the orbit modulo antipodes. Its three positions form a triangle, and every edge has an endpoint among the projective classes of \(\mathcal B\). At least two such classes are needed. There are at most three projective classes in \(\mathcal B\), one for each interface ray. Distinct \(R\)-orbits have disjoint projective positions: a shared class means a shared direction or its antipode, and the antipode is already the third rotation in the orbit. Thus two distinct boundary orbits would require at least four projective classes in \(\mathcal B\). There can be at most one orbit, and nonemptiness supplies exactly one. On each of the six complementary open sectors, local essential constancy and connectedness give one essential value. Rotation maps each sector to the next and flips that value, proving the assertion. ◻ An open three-label region and the triangle contradictionRotate coordinates about \(x\) so that the sector boundaries of Lemma 48 have angles that are multiples of \(\pi/3\). The outsider state is then determined by the sign of \(\sin(3\theta)\), in one of the two possible orders of \(X,Y\). Lemma 49 (Polynomial three-label region). Put \(z=\xi+i\upsilon\), \(l=\xi^2+\upsilon^2\). If \(0<l<4\) and \[ P:=\upsilon^2(3\xi^2-\upsilon^2)^2 <P':=l^3(1-l/4)(l-1)^2, \tag{63}\] then a neighborhood of \(x+z\) uses only the three triangle labels up to a plane-null set. Proof. Write \(z=r e^{i\phi}\), with \(0<r<2\), and let \(\delta=\arccos(r/2)\in(0,\pi/2)\). The unit directions with angles \(\phi-\delta\) and \(\phi+\delta\) sum to \(z\), and they are nonparallel. Triple-angle identities give \[\sin^2(3\phi)=\frac{\upsilon^2(3\xi^2-\upsilon^2)^2}{l^3}, \qquad \sin(3\delta)=\sin\delta\,(4\cos^2\delta-1) =\sqrt{1-l/4}\,(l-1).\] Also, \[\sin\bigl(3(\phi-\delta)\bigr) \sin\bigl(3(\phi+\delta)\bigr) =\sin^2(3\phi)-\sin^2(3\delta).\] Equation (63) makes this product negative. Both endpoints therefore lie strictly inside sectors, with opposite outsider values. Take open arc neighborhoods of the endpoints staying in their respective sectors. Their palettes contain the respective outsiders almost everywhere. Equation (36) excludes both outsiders at almost every sum of the two directions. The sum map is a local diffeomorphism at this nonparallel pair, with Jacobian \(\sin(2\delta)\ne0\). On a smaller coordinate neighborhood its image is open and contains \(z\), and change of variables transports the product-null exceptions to a spatial null set. Translating by \(x\) gives the claim. ◻ The following coordinates realize the seven-vertex obstruction of Moser and Moser (1961), a unit-distance graph that cannot be colored with three labels: \[ \mathcal G=\{0,A,B,T,uA,uB,uT\},\qquad A=\frac{\sqrt3+i}{2},\quad B=\frac{\sqrt3-i}{2},\quad T=\sqrt3,\quad u=\frac{5+i\sqrt{11}}6. \tag{64}\] Indeed, \(0,A,B\) and \(T,A,B\) are unit equilateral triangles sharing \(AB\). In any proper three-coloring, the third vertices \(0,T\) have the same color. Since \(\lvert u\rvert^2=(25+11)/36=1\), their rotated copies similarly force \(0,uT\) to have the same color. But \[\lvert T-uT\rvert^2=3\lvert 1-u\rvert^2 =3\frac{1+11}{36}=1,\] which is incompatible with those two forced equalities. We place this graph using \[ z_g=\frac{35+12i}{37} \left(g+\frac{-290+149i}{250}\right), \qquad g\in\mathcal G. \tag{65}\] The multiplier has norm one because \(35^2+12^2=37^2\), so this is a rotation followed by a translation in the sector coordinates. Figure 3 shows the placed graph, with all seven vertices in the three-label region, and its two forced equal-color pairs. The following certificate gives the strict membership needed to finish the geometric argument. Lemma 50 (Seven-point certificate). Every \(z_g\) in (65) satisfies \(0<\lvert z_g\rvert^2<4\) and (63). The full rational verification is given in Section 8.6. We first use the certificate to finish the geometric argument. Proposition 51. The extracted interface cycle cannot have length three. Proof. Lemmas 49 and 50 give, for each of the seven points \(x+z_g\), an open neighborhood restricted almost everywhere to the triangle labels. Choose \(\rho>0\) so that each point remains in its corresponding neighborhood after any common translation \(t\in B(0,\rho)\). For each vertex, the translations that put it outside the typical set, or in the null subset where a nontriangle label occurs, form a null set. The union of these seven exceptional translation sets is null. Choose \(t\) outside that union. All seven translated vertices are then typical and use the three triangle labels. Their unit edges are preserved by the placement and common translation, and typical-point properness gives a proper three-coloring of the graph in (64). The two shared-edge triangle pairs proved that this graph has no such coloring. ◻ Proof of Theorem 4. If a weak measurable five-coloring existed, Proposition 34 would produce an interface cycle of length three, four, or five with the common-center and exclusion properties used above. Propositions 43, 46, and 51 exclude all three possibilities. Thus no weak measurable five-coloring exists. ◻ Rational verification of the seven-point certificateAll terminating decimals in this verification denote exact rational numbers. Proof of Lemma 50. Table 1 gives coordinate centers \((\xi_0,\upsilon_0)\), each within \(h=0.00011\) of the corresponding exact coordinate of \(z_g\), and strict upper and lower polynomial bounds.
Here are explicit checks of the boxes and polynomial bounds. Squaring rational endpoints proves \[1.73205<\sqrt3<1.73206,\qquad 3.31662<\sqrt{11}<3.31663.\] Put \(a_*=1.732055\), \(b_*=3.316625\), and \(\epsilon=0.000005\). Replacing the two radicals by these midpoints changes their product by less than \[(a_*+b_*)\epsilon+\epsilon^2 =0.000025243425<0.000026.\] The coordinates of the three products in (64) are \[\begin{align*} uA&=\left(\frac{5\sqrt3-\sqrt{11}}{12}, \frac{\sqrt{33}+5}{12}\right),\\ uB&=\left(\frac{5\sqrt3+\sqrt{11}}{12}, \frac{\sqrt{33}-5}{12}\right),\\ uT&=\left(\frac{5\sqrt3}{6},\frac{\sqrt{33}}6\right). \end{align*}\] For each coordinate of every \(g\), the midpoint substitution therefore has error at most \(\epsilon\): the largest product error is less than \(0.000026/6<\epsilon\), and the other coefficients give this bound directly. The rotation in (65) has absolute row sum \(47/37\). For an exact check of the displayed centers, let \(\widetilde z_g\) denote the placed point after this rational midpoint substitution. Direct substitution gives the residuals \[\widetilde z_g-(\xi_0+i\upsilon_0) =\frac{d_x+i d_y}{710400000000}, \qquad \begin{array}{c|rr} g&d_x&d_y\\\hline 0&3840000&-23040000\\ A&-29520000&10176000\\ B&-12240000&-22464000\\ T&25440000&10752000\\ uA&32043244&-19212795\\ uB&4763244&-27212795\\ uT&32966488&-23385590 \end{array}\] Every residual numerator has magnitude less than \(35520000=710400000000/20000\), proving that the midpoint-substituted coordinates have the stated four-decimal roundings, with error less than \(0.00005\). Thus every final coordinate error is bounded by \[\frac{47}{37}\epsilon+0.00005<0.00011=h.\] For completeness, the remaining interval calculations reduce to the small rational factors in Table 2. Define \[\begin{align*} x_l&=(\lvert\xi_0\rvert-h)^2,&x_u&=(\lvert\xi_0\rvert+h)^2,\\ y_l&=(\lvert\upsilon_0\rvert-h)^2,&y_u&=(\lvert\upsilon_0\rvert+h)^2,\\ l_l&=x_l+y_l,&l_u&=x_u+y_u,\\ H&=\max(\lvert 3x_l-y_u\rvert,\lvert 3x_u-y_l\rvert). \end{align*}\] All listed absolute coordinate centers exceed \(h\), so these intervals enclose \(\xi^2,\upsilon^2,l\). In each row the factors in the second table satisfy \[y_u<b_y,\qquad H<b_H,\qquad a<l_l\le l_u<b.\] These claims require only squaring integers: with \(M=10^5\), \(m=M\lvert\xi_0\rvert\), \(n=M\lvert\upsilon_0\rvert\), the four squared-coordinate endpoints are \[(x_l,x_u,y_l,y_u) =\frac1{10^{10}} \bigl((m-11)^2,(m+11)^2,(n-11)^2,(n+11)^2\bigr).\] Thus every entry is verifiable using the displayed coordinate integers, without evaluation of an irrational number.
Every interval \((a,b)\) lies in \((0,4)\) and avoids one. The polynomial factors are therefore bounded by \[\begin{align*} P&\le y_u H^2<b_yb_H^2<P_+,\\ P'&\ge l_l^3(1-l_u/4) \min(\lvert l_l-1\rvert,\lvert l_u-1\rvert)^2\\ &>a^3(1-b/4)\min(\lvert a-1\rvert,\lvert b-1\rvert)^2>P'_-. \end{align*}\] The last inequalities are direct rational products of the second table, with the target bounds in the first. For example, its final row gives \[2.44(2.273)^2<12.65, \qquad (2.493)^3(1-2.495/4)(1.493)^2>12.9.\] The other six rows give the corresponding displayed strict bounds by the same two products. The squared-radius intervals also lie respectively in \[(1.70,1.71),\ (1.28,1.29),\ (0.095,0.096),\ (0.68,0.69), \ (2.73,2.74),\ (0.459,0.46),\ (2.49,2.50).\] Finally \(P_+<P'_-\) in every row of Table 1. This proves (63) and the radius conditions for all seven vertices. ◻
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