Algebraic Characterization of Reversible First Degree Cellular Automata over $\mathbb{Z}_d$
Abstract
There exists algorithms to detect reversibility of cellular automaton (CA) for both finite and infinite lattices taking quadratic time. But, can we identify a -state CA rule in constant time that is always reversible for every lattice size ? To address this issue, this paper explores the reversibility properties of a subset of one-dimensional, -neighborhood, -state finite cellular automata (CAs), known as the first degree cellular automata (FDCAs) for any number of cells under the null boundary condition. {In a first degree cellular automaton (FDCA), the local rule is defined using eight parameters. To ensure that the global transition function of -state FDCA is reversible for any number of cells , it is necessary and sufficient to verify only three algebraic conditions among the parameter values. Based on these conditions, for any given , one can synthesize all reversible FDCAs rules. Similarly, given a FDCA rule, one can check these conditions to decide its reversibility in constant time.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2603.05253,
title = {Algebraic Characterization of Reversible First Degree Cellular Automata over $\mathbb{Z}_d$},
author = {Baby C. J. and Kamalika Bhattacharjee},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2603.05253},
year = {2026}
}