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Absorbing-state phase transitions in fixed-energy sandpiles

Alessandro Vespignani·Ronald Dickman·Miguel A. Munoz·Stefano Zapperi
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Abstract

We study sandpile models as closed systems, with conserved energy density $ζ$ playing the role of an external parameter. The critical energy density, $ζ_c$, marks a nonequilibrium phase transition between active and absorbing states. Several fixed-energy sandpiles are studied in extensive simulations of stationary and transient properties, as well as the dynamics of roughening in an interface-height representation. Our primary goal is to identify the universality classes of such models, in hopes of assessing the validity of two recently proposed approaches to sandpiles: a phenomenological continuum Langevin description with absorbing states, and a mapping to driven interface dynamics in random media. Our results strongly suggest that there are at least three distinct universality classes for sandpiles.

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Alessandro Vespignani, Ronald Dickman, Miguel A. Munoz, Stefano Zapperi. 2000-03-16. Absorbing-state phase transitions in fixed-energy sandpiles. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreve.62.4564

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