This review describes recent progress in the understanding of the emergence of scale invariance in far-from-equilibrium growth. The first section is devoted to ‘solvable’ needle models which illustrate the relationship between long-range competition mediated, for example, through shadowing or a Laplacian field, and scale invariance. The following three sections, which comprise the bulk of the article, develop the theory of kinetic surface roughening in a comprehensive manner. The two large classes of kinetic roughening processes, characterized by non-conserved (Kardar-Parisi-Zhang) and conserved (ideal molecular beam epitaxy (MBE)) surface relaxation, respectively, are treated separately. For the former case, which has been extensively reviewed elsewhere, the focus is on recent developments. For the case of ideal MBE we give a systematic derivation of the various universality classes in terms of microscopic processes, and compare the predictions of continuum theory to computer simulations and exp...

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Origins of scale invariance in growth processes

The dynamics of complex systems in nature often occurs in terms of punctuations, or avalanches, rather than following a smooth, gradual path. A comprehensive theory of avalanche dynamics in models of growth, interface depinning, and evolution is presented. Specifically, we include the Bak-Sneppen evolution model, the Sneppen interface depinning model, the Zaitsev flux creep model, invasion percolation, and several other depinning models into a unified treatment encompassing a large class of far from equilibrium processes. The formation of fractal structures, the appearance of 1/f noise, diffusion with anomalous Hurst exponents, L\'evy flights, and punctuated equilibria can all be related to the same underlying avalanche dynamics. This dynamics can be represented as a fractal in d spatial plus one temporal dimension. The complex state can be reached either by tuning a parameter, or it can be self-organized. We present two exact equations for the avalanche behavior in the latter case. (1) The slow approach to the critical attractor, i.e., the process of self-organization, is governed by a ``gap'' equation for the divergence of avalanche sizes. (2) The hierarchical structure of avalanches is described by an equation for the average number of sites covered by an avalanche. The exponent \ensuremath{\gamma} governing the approach to the critical state appears as a constant rather than as a critical exponent. In addition, the conservation of activity in the stationary state manifests itself through the superuniversal result \ensuremath{\eta}=0. The exponent \ensuremath{\pi} for the L\'evy flight jumps between subsequent active sites can be related to other critical exponents through a study of ``backward avalanches.'' We develop a scaling theory that relates many of the critical exponents in this broad category of extremal models, representing different universality classes, to two basic exponents characterizing the fractal attractor. The exact equations and the derived set of scaling relations are consistent with numerical simulations of the above mentioned models. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.

Avalanche dynamics in evolution, growth, and depinning models

We have investigated experimentally the self-affinity of bacterial colonies. We examined roughness exponent α for one-dimensional growing interfaces of colonies which belong to regions B and D in t...

Self-Affinity for the Growing Interface of Bacterial Colonies

Percolation I

Ferroelectric-field switching in $\mathrm{BaTi}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ generates ``Barkhausen noise'' when domain walls are displaced. We show by acoustic emission spectroscopy that electric-field switching of ${90}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$ boundaries generates large strain fields, which emit acoustic phonons during ferroelectric hysteresis measurements. We use highly sensitive receivers (microphones) to measure the time sequences of noise in close analogy to noise patterns in ferroelastic and magnetic materials. Domain-wall interactions and jamming generate the ``crackling noise'' that follows scale invariant avalanche dynamics: the avalanche energy and amplitude probability distribution functions follow power laws with exponents $\ensuremath{\varepsilon}=1.65$ (energy) and \ensuremath{\tau}\ensuremath{'} = 2.25 (amplitudes). Aftershocks are very common and follow Omori law with probability $\ensuremath{\sim}{t}^{\ensuremath{-}p}$ where $t$ is the time elapsed after the main shock and $p$ is the Omori exponent $p\ensuremath{\sim}1$. The interevent times follow a double power-law distribution with exponents 0.9 for small times and 2.2 for the larger times. The scaling behavior is consistent with predictions of mean field theory.

Ferroelectric switching and scale invariant avalanches in BaTi O 3

We study the recently-introduced directed percolation depinning (DPD) model for interface roughening with quenched disorder for which the interface becomes pinned by a directed percolation (DP) cluster for $d = 1$, or a directed surface (DS) for $d > 1$. The mapping to DP enables us to predict some of the critical exponents of the growth process. For the case of $(1+1)$ dimensions, the theory predicts that the roughness exponent $\alpha$ is given by $\alpha = \nu_{\perp} / \nu_{\parallel}$, where $\nu_{\perp}$ and $\nu_{\parallel}$ are the exponents governing the divergence of perpendicular and parallel correlation lengths of the DP incipient infinite cluster. The theory also predicts that the dynamical exponent $z$ equals the exponent $d_{\rm min}$ characterizing the scaling of the shortest path on a isotropic percolation cluster. The exponent $\alpha$ decreases monotonically with $d$ but does not seem to approach zero for any dimension calculated ($d \le 6$), suggesting that the DPD model has no upper critical dimension for the static exponents. On the other hand, $z$ appears to approach $2$ as $d \rightarrow 6$, as expected by the result $z = d_{\rm min}$, suggesting that $d_c = 6$ for the dynamics. We also perform a set of imbibition experiments, in both $(1+1)$ and $(2+1)$ dimensions, that can be used to test the DPD model. We find good agreement between experimental, theoretical and numerical approaches. Further, we study the properties of avalanches in the context of the DPD model. We relate the scaling properties of the avalanches in the DPD model to the scaling properties for the self-organized depinning (SOD) model, a variant of the DPD model. We calculate the exponent characterizing the avalanches distribution $\tau_{\rm aval}$ for $d = 1$ to $d = 6$, and compare our results with recent theoretical

http://arxiv.org/pdf/cond-mat/9412047.pdf

Avalanches and the directed percolation depinning model: Experiments, simulations, and theory.

Surface roughening with quenched disorder in high dimensions: Exact results for the Cayley tree.

We review the recently introduced Directed Percolation Depinning (DPD) and Self-Organized Depinning (SOD) models for interface roughening with quenched disorder. The differences in the dynamics of the invasion process in these two models are discussed and different avalanche definitions are presented. The scaling properties of the avalanche size distribution and the properties of active cells are discussed.

Reza Sadr-Lahijany

Papers

Avalanches and the directed percolation depinning model: Experiments, simulations, and theory.

Surface roughening with quenched disorder in high dimensions: Exact results for the Cayley tree.

Avalanches in the directed percolation depinning and self-organized depinning models of interface roughening