Mechanisms of avalanche dynamics and forms of scaling in sandpiles

Attilio L Stella and Mario De Menech

Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, 2001, vol. 295, issue 1, 101-107

Abstract: The probability distributions of several avalanche quantities of the Bak–Tang–Wiesenfeld sandpile in two dimensions display multifractal scaling. This explains why this prototype model remained extremely problematic and controversial for such a long time after its introduction. Other models, like the Manna model, obey instead standard finite size scaling and fall in different universality classes. An analysis of time series for the waves into which avalanches can be decomposed, shows that the different forms of scaling can be ascribed to the respective autocorrelation functions. The intermittency of the Bak–Tang–Wiesenfeld sandpile is due to this autocorrelation being long range in time, unlike in the Manna case. A coarse graining of the wave time series elucidates these differences and the mechanism leading to multifractality.

Keywords: Avalanches; Self-organized criticality; Multiscaling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2001
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378437101000607
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only. Journal offers the option of making the article available online on Science direct for a fee of $3,000

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:phsmap:v:295:y:2001:i:1:p:101-107

DOI: 10.1016/S0378-4371(01)00060-7

Access Statistics for this article

Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications is currently edited by K. A. Dawson, J. O. Indekeu, H.E. Stanley and C. Tsallis

More articles in Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().