Lagrangians, Renormalization, and Quantization in Prefix Coding

Abstract

We develop a statistical mechanics framework for prefix coding based on variational principles, renormalization, and quantization. A Lagrangian formulation of entropy-optimal encoding under the Kraft-McMillan constraint yields a Gibbs-type implied distribution and completeness of the optimal code. A renormalization operator acting on codeword distribution laws produces a coarse-graining flow whose fixed points have iterated-log structure; discrete quantizations of these fixed points include Elias' $ω$ code as a special case. Extending the theory to mixed discrete-continuous source laws, we show how continuous codelength functions can be quantized into countable prefix codes and derive resolution-adjusted entropy bounds together with Heisenberg-type and Boltzmann-type relations. This provides a unified and physically motivated view of universal coding, with Elias' $ω$ code as a guiding example.