Computation at the edge of chaos: Phase transition and emergent computation

Conference · Thu Jan 25 04:00:00 EST 1990

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-2789(90)90064-V· OSTI ID:7264125

Langton, C

In order for computation to emerge spontaneously and become an important factor in the dynamics of a system, the material substrate must support the primitive functions required for computation: the transmission, storage, and modification of information. Under what conditions might we expect physical systems to support such computational primitives This paper presents research on Cellular Automata which suggests that the optimal conditions for the support of information transmission, storage, and modification, are achieved in the vicinity of a phase transition. We observe surprising similarities between the behaviors of computations and systems near phase-transitions, finding analogs of computational complexity classes and the Halting problem within the phenomenology of phase-transitions. We conclude that there is a fundamental connection between computation and phase-transitions, and discuss some of the implications for our understanding of nature if such a connection is borne out. 31 refs., 16 figs.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/MA
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 7264125
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-90-379; CONF-8905201--5; ON: DE90007488
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
990200* -- Mathematics & Computers
CALCULATION METHODS
INFORMATION THEORY
MATHEMATICS
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
RANDOMNESS