How symmetry and complexity shape three-dimensional programmable self-assembly
Abstract
Self-assembly enables complex structures to emerge from simple building blocks through local interaction rules. Are some structures intrinsically easier to design, that is, do they admit more sets of assembly rules than others? And, can this be predicted from their geometry? We address these questions using a three-dimensional polycube model with programmable face-to-face binding, defining a structure's assembly rule probability as the chance that a randomly chosen rule set produces it. For polycubes, this probability decreases exponentially with assembly complexity, the minimum information required to specify a structure's assembly rules. Intuitively, this follows because structures with low assembly complexity are generated not only by minimal rule sets but also by numerous more elaborate ones, and so arise disproportionately often. Symmetry can reduce assembly complexity by allowing the same building blocks and local interactions to be reused across different parts of a structure. Indeed, we find that the highest probability structures come from a tiny subset of highly symmetric structures. However, symmetry alone does not determine assembly complexity. Structures with the same symmetry can differ substantially in the amount of assembly information they require, depending on how effectively their global symmetry can be exploited by local growth rules. Overall, our results link information, symmetry, and assembly rule probability and suggest that identifying which geometric features permit rule reuse is central to designing minimal programmable self-assembling systems.
Related
- Programmable high-dimensional state synthesis through a 20-m multimode fiber via long-coherence atomic photons
- Phonon-Programmable Hidden Unconventional Magnetism in Two-Dimensional Spin-Degenerate Antiferromagnets
- Symmetry-resolved Krylov complexity and the uncoloured tensor model
- Complexity drives the symmetry breaking of temperature fluctuations
- Quantum chaos and late-time equipartition of symmetry-resolved Krylov complexity
BibTeX
@misc{agrawal2026symmetry,
title = {{How symmetry and complexity shape three-dimensional programmable self-assembly}},
author = {Prarthana Agrawal and Joakim Bohlin and Ard A. Louis},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2611.05301},
eprint = {2611.05301},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2611.05301},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - How symmetry and complexity shape three-dimensional programmable self-assembly
AU - Prarthana Agrawal
AU - Joakim Bohlin
AU - Ard A. Louis
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/03
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2611.05301
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2611.05301
AB - Self-assembly enables complex structures to emerge from simple building blocks through local interaction rules. Are some structures intrinsically easier to design, that is, do they admit more sets of assembly rules than others? And, can this be predicted from their geometry? We address these questions using a three-dimensional polycube model with programmable face-to-face binding, defining a structure's assembly rule probability as the chance that a randomly chosen rule set produces it. For polycubes, this probability decreases exponentially with assembly complexity, the minimum information required to specify a structure's assembly rules. Intuitively, this follows because structures with low assembly complexity are generated not only by minimal rule sets but also by numerous more elaborate ones, and so arise disproportionately often. Symmetry can reduce assembly complexity by allowing the same building blocks and local interactions to be reused across different parts of a structure. Indeed, we find that the highest probability structures come from a tiny subset of highly symmetric structures. However, symmetry alone does not determine assembly complexity. Structures with the same symmetry can differ substantially in the amount of assembly information they require, depending on how effectively their global symmetry can be exploited by local growth rules. Overall, our results link information, symmetry, and assembly rule probability and suggest that identifying which geometric features permit rule reuse is central to designing minimal programmable self-assembling systems.
ER -