Search arXivSearch

arXiv · 2510.10184

Universal Analog Computation: Fraïssé Limits of Dynamical Systems

Abstract

Analog computation is an alternative to digital computation, that has recently re-gained prominence, since it includes neural networks and neuromorphic computing. Further important examples are cellular automata and differential analyzers. While analog computers offer many advantages, they lack a notion of universality akin to universal digital computers. Since analog computers are best formalized as dynamical systems, we review scattered results on universal dynamical systems. We identify four senses of universality and connect to the two main general theories of computation: coalgebra and domain theory. For nondeterministic systems, we construct a universal system as a Fraïssé limit. It not only is universal in many of the identified senses, it also is unique in additionally being homogeneous. For deterministic systems, a universal system cannot exist, but we provide a simple method for constructing subclasses of deterministic systems with a universal and homogeneous system. This way, we introduce sofic proshifts: those systems that are limits of sofic shifts. In fact, their universal and homogeneous system even is a limit of shifts of finite type and has the shadowing property.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Levin Hornischer. 2026-01-13. Universal Analog Computation: Fraïssé Limits of Dynamical Systems. https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.10184

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Pivoting technique for the circle homeomorphism group

We adapt Gou{ë}zel's pivoting technique to the circle homeomorphism group. As an application, we give different proofs of Gilabert Vio's probabilistic Tits alternative and Malicet's exponential synchronization.

math.DS

Asymmetry of a class of Mellin transforms

We introduce the quantity $μ_η$, defined for every complex $s$ in the critical strip, as a transformation of the Mellin transform associated to the functions $η$. We establish a sufficient condition on $η$ under which $μ_η(s)$ and $μ_η(1-s)$ cannot both vanish outside the critical line. An application is given to the case in which $η$ is the fractional part function, and the zeros of $μ_η$ coincide with the zeros of the Riemann zeta function.

math.DS

Infinite Set of Resonances in the Linear Damped Oscillator Subject to Harmonic Forcing with Non-standard Frequency Modulation

It is shown that harmonic signals incorporating a type of weak non-standard frequency modulation (wNSFM) have interesting spectral properties, namely, time-dependent bandwidths that become increasingly broader with increasing time. As such, they represent a class of signals with frequency-time coupling in their spectra. Specifically, the weakly damped oscillator exhibits always two transient resonance captures involving two distinct harmonics possessing relatively high amplitudes over finite time intervals, while the overall response decays as $~t^{-1/2}$ as $t\rightarrow\infty$. Considering the undamped oscillator, it possesses two types of resonances, referred to as simple and non-simple resonances. Simple resonances correspond to finite-amplitude steady-state responses caused by two sustained resonance captures, in the form of two distinct modulated quasi-periodic responses, which, however are "activated" at different time instances. The necessary and sufficient conditions for non-simple resonances are given in the form of a theorem which predicts the existence of resonant harmonics and specifies the special phase conditions that the resonant harmonics must satisfy for constructive interference; the resulting undamped non-simple resonance grows unboundedly as $~t^{-1/2}$ as $t\rightarrow\infty$, in contrast to the classical resonance growth of the linear resonator with unmodulated harmonic excitation whose response grows as $~t$ as $t\rightarrow\infty$. These resonant responses are persistent to changes in the parameters of the wNSFM. Our results reveal interesting infinite sets of resonances in linear SDOF resonators under frequency-modulated excitations.

math.DS