Absorbing-state phase transitions in fixed-energy sandpiles
We study sandpile models as closed systems, with the conserved energy density zeta playing the role of an external parameter. The critical energy density zeta(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.
Vespignani
A
The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), P.O. Box 586, 34100 Trieste, Italy.
Dickman
R
Munoz
MA
Zapperi
S