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Self-Assembling Rulers for Approximating Generalized Sierpinski Carpets

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Abstract

Discrete self-similar fractals have been used as test cases for self-assembly, both in the laboratory and in mathematical models, ever since Winfree exhibited a tile assembly system in which the Sierpinski triangle self-assembles. For strict self-assembly, where tiles are not allowed to be placed outside the target structure, it is an open question whether any self-similar fractal can self-assemble. This has motivated the development of techniques to approximate fractals with strict self-assembly. Ideally, such an approximation would produce a structure with the same fractal dimension as the intended fractal, but with specially labeled tiles at positions corresponding to points in the fractal. We show that the Sierpinski carpet, along with an infinite class of related fractals, can approximately self-assemble in this manner. Our construction takes a set of parameters specifying a target fractal and creates a tile assembly system in which the fractal approximately self-assembles. This construction introduces rulers and readers to control the self-assembly of a fractal structure without distorting it. To verify the fractal dimension of the resulting assemblies, we prove a result on the dimension of sets embedded into discrete fractals. We also give a conjecture on the limitations of approximating self-similar fractals.

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Notes

  1. Carbone and Seeman proposed an approach to the self-assembly of the Sierpinski carpet using specially designed molecules and a process requiring physical intervention at each successive stage of the fractal [2]. However, there is no direct translation of their approach into a model of self-assembly such as the aTAM.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Jack Lutz and Jim Lathrop for useful discussions, Matt Patitz for the ISU TAS software, and an anonymous referee for several valuable comments.

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  1. Department of Computer Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA

    Steven M. Kautz & Brad Shutters

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  1. Steven M. Kautz
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  2. Brad Shutters
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Correspondence to Steven M. Kautz or Brad Shutters.

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Kautz, S.M., Shutters, B. Self-Assembling Rulers for Approximating Generalized Sierpinski Carpets. Algorithmica 67, 207–233 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00453-012-9691-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00453-012-9691-x

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