title: Interface view of directed sandpile dynamics.
abstract: We present a directed unloading sand-box-type avalanche model, driven by slowly lowering the retaining wall at the bottom of the slope. The avalanche propagation in the two-dimensional surface is related to the space-time configurations in one-dimensional Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) interface growth. We relate the scaling exponents of the avalanche cluster distribution to those for the growing surface. The numerical results are close but deviate significantly from the exact KPZ values. This might reflect stronger than usual corrections to scaling or be more fundamental, due to correlations between subsequent space-time interface configurations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Washington, P.O. Box 351560, Seattle, Washington 98195-1560, USA.
authors.forename: Chun-Chung
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: den Nijs