Glider duplicator

A glider duplicator is any reaction in which one input glider is converted into two output gliders by a set of still lifes, oscillators or spaceships. The most useful glider duplicators are those with low period or stable glider duplicators.

The period-30 glider duplicator below demonstrates a simple glider duplicating mechanism that was found by Dietrich Leithner. The input glider stream comes in from the upper left, and the output glider streams leave at the upper and lower right. The mechanism is made up of two Gosper glider guns, and the rightmost glider gun acts as an inline inverter.

x = 50, y = 47, rule = b3/s23 44b2o4b$44b2o4b9$41b2obob2o2b2$41bo5bo2b2$42b2ob2o3b$44bo5b3$38b2o6bo 3b$37bobo5bobo2b$12bo26bo4bo3bob$13bo30b5ob$11b3o29b2o3b2o$44b5ob$45b 3o2b$46bo3b$24b2o4b3o17b$24b2o6bo17b$31bo18b5$23b2o25b$22bobo21b2o2b$ 24bo21b2o2b$13bo36b$12b4o34b$11b2obobo6bobo24b$2o8b3obo2bo3bo3bo24b$2o 9b2obobo4bo28b$12b4o4bo4bo24b$13bo7bo28b$21bo3bo6b2o16b$23bobo6bobo15b $34bo15b$34b2o! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 WIDTH 600 HEIGHT 600 ZOOM 8 X 6 Y 6 GPS 40 AUTOSTART T 0 PAUSE 1 T 150 PAUSE 1 LOOP 151 ]]

A period-30 glider duplicator (click above to open LifeViewer) RLE: here Plaintext: here

Spaceship convoys that can duplicate gliders are very useful since they (along with glider turners) provide a means to clean up many dirty puffers by duplicating and turning output gliders so as to impact into the exhaust to clean it up.

Glider duplicators (and turners) are known for backward gliders using period-2 c/2 spaceships, and for forward gliders using period-3 c/3 spaceships. These are the most general duplicators for these speeds.

Stable duplicators usually contain at least one Herschel stage. If the syringe is used, the repeat time is at least 78 ticks (or overclocked to 74 or 75 ticks); if speed tunnel is used, the repeat time is at least 61. The following is a small glider duplicator, producing one 0° degree glider and one 180° glider, with a repeat time of (74, 75, 78+) ticks:

x = 76, y = 53, rule = B3/S23 obo$b2o$bo17$20bo$21b2o$20b2o5$51b2o$52bo$52bobo$42bo10b2o$40b3o$39bo$ 39b2o$24b2o48b2o$25bo48b2o$25bob2o$26bo2bo23bo$27b2o24bo$42b2o9b3o$42b 2o11bo4$51bo3b2o$50bobo3bo$49bobo3bo$45b2obobo3bo$45b2obo2b4obo5b2o$ 49bobo3bobo5bo$45b2ob2o2bo2bobo2b3o$46bobo2b2o3bo3bo$34b2o10bobo$34b2o 11bo! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ AUTOSTART GPS 20 THUMBSIZE 2 ZOOM 10 X 10 Y 8 WIDTH 600 HEIGHT 500 T 0 PAUSE 1 T 349 PAUSE 1 LOOP 350 ]]

Repeat time 74, 75, 78+ glider duplicator, using syringe. (click above to open LifeViewer) RLE: here Plaintext: here

x = 81, y = 33, rule = B3/S23 17b2ob2o$18bobo$bo11b2obo5bob2o19bo25bo$2bo9bobob2o3b2obobo9bo8b3o22b obo$3o8bo6bobo6bo8b3o9bo21bob3o$11b7o3b7o11bo7b2o18b2obo4bo$38b2o27bo bobobobo$13b3o7b3o43bobob2o4b2o$12bo2bo3bo3bo2bo41bobo8bo$12b2o4bobo4b 2o42bo7bobo$18bobo56b2o$19bo2$66b2o$53bo11bo2bo$26b2o24bobo11b2o$26b2o 23bo2bo$52b2o$15bobo$16b2o31b2o$16bo21b2o8bobo$34bo3b2o8bo25b2o$17b2o 5b2o7bobo11b2o12b2o10bobo$16bo2bo4bobo5bobo22b2obobo10b2o$12b2o3bobo6b o5bo24bob2obobo$8b2obobo4bo7b2o3b2o30b2o3b2o3b4o$9bobo9b2o45b2o4bo2bo $8bo2b2o8bo50bo3b2o$9b2o11b3o47b2o$11b2o11bo$11bo$12bo$11b2o! #C [[ THUMBSIZE 2 THEME 6 GRID GRIDMAJOR 0 SUPPRESS THUMBLAUNCH ]] #C [[ THUMBNAIL THUMBSIZE 2 WIDTH 600 HEIGHT 500 T 0 PAUSE 2 AUTOSTART THUMBSIZE 2 GPS 20 LOOP 280 ]]

Repeat time 61+ glider splitter, the current minimum for a glider-to-2-glider converter, using speed tunnel. (click above to open LifeViewer) RLE: here Plaintext: here

See also

• Over-unity reaction

External links

• Glider duplicator at the Life Lexicon