Gun Converter

[p46beth]

So far we have had conversions between spaceships, herchels, and many other signals. But recently I found a unique conversion between two kinds of guns.

Quite awhile ago I found a reaction by which a glider gun build a line of bee-hives that eventually destroyed the gun. I found it with a p256 gun, but it was to slow to be done with a faster gun. Later, I found a similar reaction that is compatible with much faster guns. Recently, I found that a certain p88 gun is not destroyed in this reaction, bus is actually transformed into a different gun (which is capable of eating the beehives.)
I was wondering if this was a known reaction or not. I found it accidentally while studying the "killer beehives" described above.

Code: Select all

x = 481, y = 459, rule = B3/S23
5$14b2o4b2o4b2o$13bo2bobo4bobo2bo$13b3o10b3o$16b2o6b2o$15bo2b6o2bo$15b
2o8b2o3$16b2o$16b4o$15bo3bo$18b2o2$34b2o$20b2o12bo$32bobo$32b2o$5b2o$
5b2o12b3o14b2o7bo3b2o$19b3o14b2o5b3o3bobo$42bo7b3o$19bobo20b2o7b2o$19b
obo14b3o9b2o$36bobo9b3o$19b3o13bo2bo$5b2o12b3o14bo$5b2o29bo12b2o$37bo
11b2o$29bo4b3o$20b2o5b2ob2o2b2o$27b5o16bo$28b2ob2o16bo$18b2o10bo16b3o$
15bo3bo$16b4o15b2o$16b2o17bo$36b3o$38bo$15b2o8b2o$15bo2b6o2bo$16b2o6b
2o$13b3o10b3o$13bo2bobo4bobo2bo$14b2o4b2o4b2o9$70bo$71bo$69b3o20$92bo$
93bo$91b3o20$114bo$115bo$113b3o20$136bo$137bo$135b3o20$158bo$159bo$
157b3o20$180bo$181bo$179b3o20$202bo$203bo$201b3o20$224bo$225bo$223b3o
20$246bo$247bo$245b3o20$268bo$269bo$267b3o20$290bo$291bo$289b3o20$312b
o$313bo$311b3o20$334bo$335bo$333b3o20$356bo$357bo$355b3o20$378bo$379bo
$377b3o20$400bo$401bo$399b3o20$422bo$423bo$421b3o20$444bo$445bo$443b3o
7$455b3o!

I am curious to see if conversions can be made between other guns, and then a reverse reaction (without the slower but more obvious solution of destroying the gun completely and then constructing a new gun).

[calcyman]

The 'killer beehives' you mention is known as a crystal, and occurs with all even-period guns above p80, if I remember correctly. The process of growing a crystal is known as 'crystallisation', and the reverse is known as 'decay'. Here is an oscillator demonstrating this:

Code: Select all

x = 123, y = 135, rule = S23/B3
5boo$5boo3$5bo$4b3o$3bo3bo$5bo18boo$bbo5bo15bobo$bbo5bo16b3o12bo$3bo3b
o7boo9b3o8b4o$4b3o8boo8b3o8b4o$24bobo9bobbo9boo$24boo10b4o9boo$37b4o$
40bo4$7bo$5bobo$6boo4$oo3boo$$bo3bo$bb3o$bb3o5$3boo$3boo4$42bo$40b3o$
39bo$20boo17boo$20bo$21b3o$23bo70$111boo6boo$110bobbo4bobbo$109b6obb6o
$110bobbo4bobbo$111boo6boo8$104b3o$104bobo$104b3o$104b3o$104b3o$104b3o
$104bobo$104b3o!

I don't think that the p256 crystal is known. How does it work?

[p46beth]

I don't still have the exact file. It was similar to known crystals but took longer for each beehive to stabilize. The reaction itself was not p256, I don't remember the minimum period gun that could catalyze it.

[TLUL]

That's an interesting little reaction you've discovered.

[p46beth]

I am currently trying to find the reverse reaction: converting the p44 gun back into the p88. So far, I havn't had much luck, though...

[calcyman]

I am currently trying to find the reverse reaction: converting the p44 gun back into the p88. So far, I havn't had much luck, though...

Notice that the p44 is identical to the p88, but without the Figure-8 oscillator. You don't expect the Figure-8 to miraculously reappear, do you?

[Extrementhusiast]

Can't you synthesize it somehow?

[calcyman]

... without the Figure-8 oscillator

Sorry, my memory was failing. I meant a period-8 blocker oscillator.

Can't you synthesize it somehow?

Yes, but I think that 137ben wants the p44 glider stream to repair the gun. Very unlikely, without complex Herschel circuitry.

[p46beth]

Actually I was thinking of synthesizing it. It shouldn't be too hard, though I haven't had much time lately. But now that you mention it, I suppose it would be possible for a Herschel circuit to repair the gun, though quite rather difficult.

Of course, the extreme extension to that would mean "converting" between to gun periods could simply be deleting one and then synthesizing the other, although for most guns this could be difficult in finding the appropriate glider recipe.

[p46beth]

Update: the p8 blocker has many known syntheses, see http://home.interserv.com/~mniemiec/15br.rle for examples. But all syntheses I could find involve gliders coming from all four directions, which is not plausible when the blocker needs to be constructed right next to a p44 gun. I have not been able to find any syntheses that involve gliders from only 2 directions.

[calcyman]

which is not plausible when the blocker needs to be constructed right next to a p44 gun.

The blocker can be constructed an arbitrary distance from the p44 gun; it interacts with the gliders, and nothing else.

[p46beth]

Ah, at first when I thought of moving the blocker, I thought it would wouldn't allow reverse conversion using crystals in the same way. Then I noticed that the crystal reaction also only interacts with the blocker, hence:

Code: Select all

x = 63, y = 46, rule = B3/S23
$9b2o10b2o$8bo2bo8bo2bo$8b3o2b6o2b3o$11b2o6b2o$10bo10bo$10b2obo4bob2o$
15b2o3$11b2o$10b2ob2o$10b2o2bo$12bo$16bo12b2o$14bobo12bo$15bo11bobo$
27b2o$2o$2o29b2o7bo$14b3o14b2o5b3o$15bo21bo$15bo21b2o$15bo$15bo15b3o
26bobo$14b3o10bo2bo2bo26b2o$2o23b3o2bo21bo8bo$2o25b4obo20b2o$28b2ob2o
19b2o$15bo7b2o3b3o$14bobo6b3o$16bo6bo$12bo11b3o$10b2o2bo9b2o33bo$10b2o
b2o43bo$11b2o17b2o22bo3b3o$30bo24bo$31b3o19b3o$15b2o16bo25b3o$10b2obo
4bob2o37bo$10bo10bo38bo$11b2o6b2o$8b3o2b6o2b3o$8bo2bo8bo2bo27bo$9b2o
10b2o28b2o$50bobo!

And it can be converted back with a crystal. However, the original crystal conversion produces an excess block (which can be easily deleted), while the crystal conversion of the modified gun, as shown in

Code: Select all

x = 144, y = 124, rule = B3/S23
3$14b2o4b2o4b2o$13bo2bobo4bobo2bo$13b3o10b3o$16b2o6b2o$15bo2b6o2bo$15b
2o8b2o6$20bo$20bo$19b3o12b2o$34bo$17bo5bo8bobo$15bo9bo6b2o$5b2o7b2o4bo
4b2o$5b2o6b2o4b3o4b2o8b2o7bo$14bo2b3ob3o2bo9b2o5b3o$15b2obo3bob2o16bo$
17b2o3b2o18b2o$17b2o3b2o13bo$15b2obo3bob2o11b2o$14bo2b3ob3o2bo9bo2bo$
5b2o6b2o4b3o4b2o11bo$5b2o7b2o4bo4b2o9b2o2b2o$15bo9bo10b2o4bo$17bo5bo
17b3o$42bo17b2o$19b3o18b2o18bobo$20bo18bo21b3o$20bo41b2o$34bobo22b2o$
35b2o15bo6b3o$35bo17bo$36b3o12b3o$38bo21b2o$15b2o8b2o33b2o$15bo2b6o2bo
$16b2o6b2o$13b3o10b3o$13bo2bobo4bobo2bo$14b2o4b2o4b2o2$63bo$64bo$62b3o
20$85bo$86bo$84b3o20$107bo$108bo$106b3o20$129bo$130bo$128b3o5$138b3o!

produces more debris. However, the extra debris produced in the above conversion could easily be deleted as well, thus we have a reversible reaction to convet between p44 and p88, with no Herschel circuits required.