Cellular automata were introduced in the first half of the last century by John von Neumann who used them as theoretical models for self-reproducing machines. The authors present a self-contained exposition of the theory of cellular automata on groups and explore its deep connections with recent developments in geometric group theory, symbolic dynamics, and other branches of mathematics and theoretical computer science. The topics treated include in particular the Garden of Eden theorem for amenable groups, and the Gromov-Weiss surjunctivity theorem as well as the solution of the Kaplansky conjecture on the stable finiteness of group rings for sofic groups. The volume is entirely self-contained, with 10 appendices and more than 300 exercises, and appeals to a large audience including specialists as well as newcomers in the field. It provides a comprehensive account of recent progress in the theory of cellular automata based on the interplay between amenability, geometric and combinatorial group theory, symbolic dynamics and the algebraic theory of group rings which are treated here for the first time in book form.

This unique book provides a self-contained exposition of the theory of cellular automata on groups and explores its deep connections with recent developments in geometric and combinatorial group theory, amenability, symbolic dynamics, the algebraic theory of group rings, and other branches of mathematics and theoretical computer science. The topics treated include the Garden of Eden theorem for amenable groups, the Gromov–Weiss surjunctivity theorem, and the solution of the Kaplansky conjecture on the stable finiteness of group rings for sofic groups. Entirely self-contained and now in its second edition, the volume includes 10 appendices and more than 600 exercises, the solutions of which are presented in the companion book Exercises in Cellular Automata and Groups (2023) by the same authors. It will appeal to a large audience, including specialists and newcomers to the field.

This book complements the authors’ monograph Cellular Automata and Groups [CAG] (Springer Monographs in Mathematics). It consists of more than 600 fully solved exercises in symbolic dynamics and geometric group theory with connections to geometry and topology, ring and module theory, automata theory and theoretical computer science. Each solution is detailed and entirely self-contained, in the sense that it only requires a standard undergraduate-level background in abstract algebra and general topology, together with results established in [CAG] and in previous exercises. It includes a wealth of gradually worked out examples and counterexamples presented here for the first time in textbook form. Additional comments provide some historical and bibliographical information, including an account of related recent developments and suggestions for further reading. The eight-chapter division from [CAG] is maintained. Each chapter begins with a summary of the main definitions and results contained in the corresponding chapter of [CAG]. The book is suitable either for classroom or individual use. Foreword by Rostislav I. Grigorchuk

This book constitutes the proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Cellular Automata for Research and Industry, ACRI 2018, held in Como, Italy, in September 2018. The 47 full papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 64 submissions. This volume contains invited contributions and accepted papers from the main track and from the three organized workshops. The volume is organized in the following topics: biological systems modeling; simulation and other applications of CA; multi-agent systems; pedestrian and traffic dynamics; synchronization and control; theory and cryptography; asynchronous cellular automata; and crowds, traffic and cellular automata.

This book presents an extensive survey and report of related research on important developments in cellular automata (CA) theory. The authors introduce you to this theory in a comprehensive manner that will help you understand the basics of CA and be prepared for further research. They illustrate the matrix algebraic tools that characterize group CA and help develop its applications in the field of VLSI testing. The text examines schemes based on easily testable FSM, bit-error correcting code, byte error correcting code, and characterization of 2D cellular automata. In addition, it looks into CA-based universal pattern generation, data encryption, and synthesis of easily testable combinational logic. The book covers new characterizations of group CA behavior, CA-based tools for fault diagnosis, and a wide variety of applications to solve real-life problems.

This book presents the deterministic view of quantum mechanics developed by Nobel Laureate Gerard 't Hooft. Dissatisfied with the uncomfortable gaps in the way conventional quantum mechanics meshes with the classical world, 't Hooft has revived the old hidden variable ideas, but now in a much more systematic way than usual. In this, quantum mechanics is viewed as a tool rather than a theory. The author gives examples of models that are classical in essence, but can be analysed by the use of quantum techniques, and argues that even the Standard Model, together with gravitational interactions, might be viewed as a quantum mechanical approach to analysing a system that could be classical at its core. He shows how this approach, even though it is based on hidden variables, can be plausibly reconciled with Bell's theorem, and how the usual objections voiced against the idea of ‘superdeterminism' can be overcome, at least in principle. This framework elegantly explains - and automatically cures - the problems of the wave function collapse and the measurement problem. Even the existence of an “arrow of time" can perhaps be explained in a more elegant way than usual. As well as reviewing the author’s earlier work in the field, the book also contains many new observations and calculations. It provides stimulating reading for all physicists working on the foundations of quantum theory.

In the late 1960s British mathematician John Conway invented a virtual mathematical machine that operates on a two-dimensional array of square cell. Each cell takes two states, live and dead. The cells’ states are updated simultaneously and in discrete time. A dead cell comes to life if it has exactly three live neighbours. A live cell remains alive if two or three of its neighbours are alive, otherwise the cell dies. Conway’s Game of Life became the most programmed solitary game and the most known cellular automaton. The book brings together results of forty years of study into computational, mathematical, physical and engineering aspects of The Game of Life cellular automata. Selected topics include phenomenology and statistical behaviour; space-time dynamics on Penrose tilling and hyperbolic spaces; generation of music; algebraic properties; modelling of financial markets; semi-quantum extensions; predicting emergence; dual-graph based analysis; fuzzy, limit behaviour and threshold scaling; evolving cell-state transition rules; localization dynamics in quasi-chemical analogues of GoL; self-organisation towards criticality; asynochrous implementations. The volume is unique because it gives a comprehensive presentation of the theoretical and experimental foundations, cutting-edge computation techniques and mathematical analysis of the fabulously complex, self-organized and emergent phenomena defined by incredibly simple rules.