title: Analysis of power-law exponents by maximum-likelihood maps.
abstract: Maximum-likelihood exponent maps have been studied as a technique to increase the understanding and improve the fit of power-law exponents to experimental and numerical simulation data, especially when they exhibit both upper and lower cutoffs. The use of the technique is tested by analyzing seismological data, acoustic emission data, and avalanches in numerical simulations of the three-dimensional random field Ising model. In the different examples we discuss the nature of the deviations observed in the exponent maps and some relevant conclusions are drawn for the physics behind each phenomenon.
authors.affiliation: Departament d'Estructura i Constituents de la Matèria, Facultat de Física, Universitat de Barcelona, Diagonal 647, E-08028 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. jordibaro@ecm.ub.es
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Baró
authors.forename: Eduard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vives
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D055866:Earthquakes; D005544:Forecasting; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D015233:Models, Statistical