Reversing computation in membrane systems

This paper deals with reversing computation in membrane systems. Its aim is to answer the following question: given a configuration M of a membrane system, how to find each configuration N such that N evolves to M in one step? While easy to state, the problem does not have a simple answer. We provide a solution by starting from membrane systems with one membrane, and introducing the “reverse P systems”. To obtain a solution for membrane systems with general rules and with membrane dissolution, we flatten the membrane structure and extend the methods used for systems with one membrane.