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Andrea Rinaldo

Publications and source records attributed to Andrea Rinaldo.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Universal Scaling of Optimal Current Distribution in Transportation Networks

Transportation networks are inevitably selected with reference to their global cost which depends on the strengths and the distribution of the embedded currents. We prove that optimal current distributions for a uniformly injected d-dimensional network exhibit robust scale-invariance properties, independently of the particular cost function considered, as long as it is convex. We find that, in the limit of large currents, the distribution decays as a power law with an exponent equal to (2d-1)/(d-1). The current distribution can be exactly calculated in d=2 for all values of the current. Numerical simulations further suggest that the scaling properties remain unchanged for both random injections and by randomizing the convex cost functions.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

Network Structures from Selection Principles

We present an analysis of the topologies of a class of networks which are optimal in terms of the requirements of having as short a route as possible between any two nodes while yet keeping the congestion in the network as low as possible. Strikingly, we find a variety of distinct topologies and novel phase transitions between them on varying the number of links per node. Our results suggest that the emergence of the topologies observed in nature may arise both from growth mechanisms and the interplay of dynamical mechanisms with a selection process.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

Scaling and universality in ontogenetic growth

Recently, West et al. claimed to derive a general quantitative model based on fundamental principles for the allocation of metabolic energy between maintenance of existing tissue and the production of new biomass, and in addition claimed to derive a single, parameterless universal curve that describes the growth of many species. They further claimed that their model of the 3/4 exponent for the allometric scaling of metabolism provides a novel version of the growth equations and use the goodness of fit of growth-curve data to these equations as support of this interpretation. Here, we show that the universal curve arises from general considerations that are independent of the specific allometric model used and that the data do not distinguish between the 3/4 or the 2/3 exponent for the metabolic rate mass scaling.

cond-mat↗

Stationary Self-Organized Fractal Structures in an Open,Dissipative Electrical System

We study the stationary state of a Poisson problem for a system of N perfectly conducting metal balls driven by electric forces to move within a medium of very low electrical conductivity onto which charges are sprayed from outside. When grounded at a confining boundary, the system of metal balls is experimentally known to self-organize into stable fractal aggregates. We simulate the dynamical conditions leading to the formation of such aggregated patterns and analyse the fractal properties. From our results and those obtained for steady-state systems that obey minimum total energy dissipation (and potential energy of the system as a whole), we suggest a possible dynamical rule for the emergence of scale-free structures in nature.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

Models of Fractal River Basins

Two distinct models for self-similar and self-affine river basins are numerically investigated. They yield fractal aggregation patterns following non-trivial power laws in experimentally relevant distributions. Previous numerical estimates on the critical exponents, when existing, are confirmed and superseded. A physical motivation for both models in the present framework is also discussed.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗