The spatial entropy of two-dimensional subshifts of finite type

Abstract

In this paper, two recursive formulas for computing the spatial entropy of two-dimensional subshifts of finite type are given. The exact entropy of a nontrivial example arising in cellular neural networks is obtained by using such formulas. We also establish some general theory concerning the spatial entropy of two-dimensional subshifts of finite type. In particular, we show that if either of the transition matrices is rank-one, then the associated exact entropy can be explicitly obtained. The generalization of our results to higher dimension can be similarly obtained. Furthermore, these formulas can be used numerically for estimating the spatial entropy.