title: Hierarchical crack pattern as formed by successive domain divisions. I. Temporal and geometrical hierarchy.
abstract: Crack patterns, as they can be observed in the glaze of ceramics or in desiccated mud layers, are formed by successive fractures and divide the two-dimensional plane into distinct domains. On the basis of experimental observation, we develop a description of the geometrical structure of these hierarchical networks. In particular, we show that the essential feature of such a structure can be represented by a genealogical tree of successive domain divisions. This approach allows for a detailed discussion of the relationship between the formation process and the geometric result. We show that--with some restraints--it is possible to reconstruct the history of the system from the geometry of the final pattern.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physique Statistique, Ecole Normale Supérieure, 24 Rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France. bohns@rockefeller.edu
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bohn
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pauchard
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Couder