English

Algebraic Characterization of Reversible First Degree Cellular Automata over $\mathbb{Z}_d$

Formal Languages and Automata Theory 2026-03-06 v1 Discrete Mathematics

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 dd-state CA rule in constant time that is always reversible for every lattice size nNn\in \mathbb{N}? To address this issue, this paper explores the reversibility properties of a subset of one-dimensional, 33-neighborhood, dd-state finite cellular automata (CAs), known as the first degree cellular automata (FDCAs) for any number of cells (nN)(n\in \mathbb{N}) 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 dd-state FDCA is reversible for any number of cells (nN)(n\in \mathbb{N}), it is necessary and sufficient to verify only three algebraic conditions among the parameter values. Based on these conditions, for any given dd, one can synthesize all reversible FDCAs rules. Similarly, given a FDCA rule, one can check these conditions to decide its reversibility in constant time.

Keywords

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}
}