Response Curves for Cellular Automata in One and Two Dimensions: An Example of Rigorous Calculations

Abstract

In this paper, the authors consider the problem of computing a response curve for binary cellular automata, that is, the curve describing the dependence of the density of ones after many iterations of the rule on the initial density of ones. The authors demonstrate how this problem could be approached using rule 130 as an example. For this rule, preimage sets of finite strings exhibit recognizable patterns; therefore, it is possible to compute both cardinalities of preimages of certain finite strings and probabilities of occurrence of these strings in a configuration obtained by iterating a random initial configuration n times. Response curves can be rigorously calculated in both one- and two-dimensional versions of CA rule 130. The authors also discuss a special case of totally disordered initial configurations, that is, random configurations where the density of ones and zeros are equal to 1/2.