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Avalanche spatial structure and multivariable scaling functions: Sizes, heights, widths, and views through windows

Cornell Affiliated Author(s)

Author

Y.-J. Chen
S. Papanikolaou
J.P. Sethna
S. Zapperi
G. Durin

Abstract

We introduce a systematic method for extracting multivariable universal scaling functions and critical exponents from data. We exemplify our insights by analyzing simulations of avalanches in an interface using simulations from a driven quenched Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (qKPZ) equation. We fully characterize the spatial structure of these avalanches-we report universal scaling functions for size, height, and width distributions, and also local front heights. Furthermore, we resolve a problem that arises in many imaging experiments of crackling noise and avalanche dynamics, where the observed distributions are strongly distorted by a limited field of view. Through artificially windowed data, we show these distributions and their multivariable scaling functions may be written in terms of two control parameters: the window size and the characteristic length scale of the dynamics. For the entire system and the windowed distributions we develop accurate parametrizations for the universal scaling functions, including corrections to scaling and systematic error bars, facilitated by a novel software environment SloppyScaling. © 2011 American Physical Society.

Date Published

Journal

Physical Review E - Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics

Volume

84

Issue

6

URL

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84855162614&doi=10.1103%2fPhysRevE.84.061103&partnerID=40&md5=f17d3f8a121ae1b5694bcfd701b88f2a

DOI

10.1103/PhysRevE.84.061103

Research Area

Group (Lab)

James Sethna Group

Funding Source

1005479

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