Action principle for cellular automata and the linearity of quantum mechanics

Abstract: We introduce an action principle for a class of integer valued cellular automata and obtain Hamiltonian equations of motion. Employing sampling theory, these discrete deterministic equations are invertibly mapped on continuum equations for a set of bandwidth limited harmonic oscillators, which encode the Schr\"odinger equation. Thus, the linearity of quantum mechanics is related to the action principle of such cellular automata and its conservation laws to discrete ones.