Generalized p-systems

Abstract

We consider a variant of P-systems, a new model for computations using membrane structures and recently introduced by Gheorghe Păun. Using the membranes as a kind of filter for specific objects when transferring them into an inner compartment turns out to be a very powerful mechanism in combination with suitable rules to be applied within the membranes. The model of generalized P-systems, GP-systems for short, considered in this paper allows for the simulation of graph controlled grammars of arbitrary type based on productions working on single objects; for example, the general results we establish in this paper can immediately be applied to the graph controlled versions of context free string grammars, n-dimensional #-context-free array grammars, and elementary graph grammars.