Phase-shifting crystal oscillator

[nokangaroo]

Here is a phase-shifting crystal oscillator that I found (I am new to "Game of
Life", so I don't claim to have invented this pattern). I don't know if it is
interesting; from browsing your forums I gather that large-period oscillators
are not interesting per se, but the phase-shifting might be (there is a crystal
oscillator in the Golly example patterns, but it does not phase-shift, and its
period is much lower). Whether it phase-shifts or not seems to depend on the
offset between the left and right gun pairs. The base guns are p276 (6*46). I
also found a triple-interleaved version with a period that is beyond "oscar".

Run it at 8^3 to see the phase-shift.

Code: Select all

#C p1257180. Extensible: Delete the blocks and beehives in the middle and move
#C the top and bottom halves (which are mirror images of each other) apart by
#C 38n cells to make a bigger oscillator
x = 119, y = 252, rule = B3/S23
14bo89bo$13bobo87bobo$13bobo87bobo$12b2ob2o85b2ob2o$101bo5bo$102b2ob2o
$100bob2ob2obo2$98bo11bo$99bo9bo$101bobobobo$101bobobobo$102b2ob2o$99b
o2bo3bo2bo$100b2o5b2o2$10bo7bo$9b4o3b4o$9bo3bobo3bo$10bo2bobo2bo$10b3o
3b3o7$8bo5bo$7b3o3b3o$6b2o2bobo2b2o$6bo3bobo3bo81bobo$6bob2o3b2obo81b
2o$6b2o7b2o82bo$23bo$24bo78b2o5b2o$22b3o78bob2ob2obo$104bobobobo$104bo
bobobo$103bo7bo3$88bo$86b2o16b3ob3o$87b2o17bobo$104bo5bo$9b2ob2o91b2ob
2o$10bobo93bobo$10bobo93bobo$11bo17b2o55b2o19bo$29b2o54b2o$87bo$4bo
109bo$3bobo107bobo$3bobo69bobo35bobo$2b2ob2o68b2o35b2ob2o$3bobo70bo$bo
bobobo15b3o$2b2ob2o18bo$2bo3bo17bo$98bo$97b2o$97bobo11bo5bo$2o5b2o101b
3o3b3o$2obobob2o101bob2ob2obo$o2bobo2bo103b2ob2o$3o3b3o103b2ob2o$112b
2ob2o$12b2o$11bobo$13bo2$109b2o$108b2o$110bo9$107bo7bo$106bo2bo3bo2bo$
110bobo$3b2o5b2o98bobo$3bob2ob2obo98bobo$4bobobobo95bo2bo3bo2bo$4bobob
obo96b3o3b3o$3bo7bo4$4b3ob3o$6bobo$4bo5bo$5b2ob2o99b2ob2o$6bobo101bobo
$6bobo101bobo$7bo103bo3$92bo$93bo$91b3o12$8b2o99b2o$8b2o99b2o3$3bo111b
o$2bobo109bobo$2bobo109bobo$3bo111bo5$3bo111bo$2bobo109bobo$2bobo109bo
bo$3bo111bo3$8b2o99b2o$8b2o99b2o12$91b3o$93bo$92bo3$7bo103bo$6bobo101b
obo$6bobo101bobo$5b2ob2o99b2ob2o$4bo5bo$6bobo$4b3ob3o4$3bo7bo$4bobobob
o96b3o3b3o$4bobobobo95bo2bo3bo2bo$3bob2ob2obo98bobo$3b2o5b2o98bobo$
110bobo$106bo2bo3bo2bo$107bo7bo9$110bo$108b2o$109b2o2$13bo$11bobo$12b
2o$112b2ob2o$3o3b3o103b2ob2o$o2bobo2bo103b2ob2o$2obobob2o101bob2ob2obo
$2o5b2o101b3o3b3o$97bobo11bo5bo$97b2o$98bo$2bo3bo17bo$2b2ob2o18bo$bobo
bobo15b3o$3bobo70bo$2b2ob2o68b2o35b2ob2o$3bobo69bobo35bobo$3bobo107bob
o$4bo109bo$87bo$29b2o54b2o$11bo17b2o55b2o19bo$10bobo93bobo$10bobo93bob
o$9b2ob2o91b2ob2o$104bo5bo$87b2o17bobo$86b2o16b3ob3o$88bo3$103bo7bo$
104bobobobo$104bobobobo$22b3o78bob2ob2obo$24bo78b2o5b2o$23bo$6b2o7b2o
82bo$6bob2o3b2obo81b2o$6bo3bobo3bo81bobo$6b2o2bobo2b2o$7b3o3b3o$8bo5bo
7$10b3o3b3o$10bo2bobo2bo$9bo3bobo3bo$9b4o3b4o$10bo7bo2$100b2o5b2o$99bo
2bo3bo2bo$102b2ob2o$101bobobobo$101bobobobo$99bo9bo$98bo11bo2$100bob2o
b2obo$102b2ob2o$101bo5bo$12b2ob2o85b2ob2o$13bobo87bobo$13bobo87bobo$
14bo89bo!

[gameoflifemaniac]

But are you sure that this oscillator is non-trivial (that there is at least 1 cell oscillating at the full period)?

[nokangaroo]

What do you mean? The point is not the oscillator per se, but an emergent phenomenon (the phase-shift between the left and right beehive stacks, which was not built into the design). I wouldn't have posted the oscillator if it didn't do anything interesting.

[83bismuth38]

178067 period oscillator, that's awesome to me lol

[Gamedziner]

178067 period oscillator, that's awesome to me lol

Oscillators with period > 41 are known to exist. An example could trivially be made, even for periods like 982451653. See omniperiodic for details.

[83bismuth38]

lol, ik that. I have a trivial period 59.2 mil oscillator. yeah, i knew that.