Maximal Length Cellular Automata : A Survey

Abstract

This article surveys some theoretical aspects of Cellular Automata (CAs) research. In particular, we discuss on maximal length CA. An n-cell CA is a maximal length CA, if all the configurations except one form a single cycle. There is a bonding between maximal length CA and primitive polynomial. So, primitive polynomials occupy a good amount of space in this survey. The main goal of this survey is to provide a tutorial on maximal length CA theory to researchers with classical and new results on maximality. We also give a compact collection of known results with references to their proofs, and to suggest some open problems. Additionally, some new theorems and corollaries are added to bridge the gaps among several known results.