Symbolic group varieties and dual surjunctivity

Abstract

Let $G$ be a group. Let $X$ be an algebraic group over an algebraically closed field $K$. Denote by $A=X(K)$ the set of rational points of $X$. We study algebraic group cellular automata $\tau \colon A^G \to A^G$ whose local defining map is induced by a homomorphism of algebraic groups $X^M \to X$ where $M$ is a finite memory. When $G$ is sofic and $K$ is uncountable, we show that if $\tau$ is post-surjective then it is weakly pre-injective. Our result extends the dual version of Gottschalk's Conjecture for finite alphabets proposed by Capobianco, Kari, and Taati. When $G$ is amenable, we prove that if $\tau$ is surjective then it is weakly pre-injective, and conversely, if $\tau$ is pre-injective then it is surjective. Hence, we obtain a complete answer to a question of Gromov on the Garden of Eden theorem in the case of algebraic group cellular automata.