Theoretical Physics Colloquium
Pattern formation in growing sandpiles
by Tridib Sadhu (TIFR)
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
from
to
(Asia/Kolkata)
at Colaba Campus ( AG-69 )
at Colaba Campus ( AG-69 )
Description |
Adding grains at a single site on a flat substrate in the abelian sandpile models produces beautiful complex patterns. These patterns show proportionate growth where all spatial features increase at equal rate, keeping the overall shape unchanged. I will discuss in detail, the pattern produced in the model defined on a two-dimensional square lattice with directed edges (each site has two arrows directed inward and two outward), starting with a periodic background with half the sites occupied. This is a good example of analytically tractable complex patterns generated using simple local rules. I will present an exact characterization of the asymptotic pattern, which involves some intriguing connection to mathematics of discrete analytic functions. I will also discuss how this pattern and its growth rate changes in presence of absorbing sites. |
Material: | |
Organised by | Dr. Vikram Tripathi |
PODCAST | click here to start |