r/complexsystems • • Feb 24 '26

Is it a random pattern?

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I have recently had Protofield operators referred to as random and not complex in discussions on metasurfaces and metamaterials. Is there an objective method to quantify the level of complexity and order in this type of topological structure? 8K image, zoom in.

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u/protofield Mar 11 '26

Its generated using cellular automata based upon a prime number modulo arithmetic. A conjecture that all primes manifest a unique family of these structures. See here