Avalanches in disordered systems

Friedman, Nir

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/45523 Copy

Description

Title

Avalanches in disordered systems

Author(s)

Friedman, Nir

Issue Date

2013-08-22T16:43:05Z

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Dahmen, Karin A.

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Oono, Yoshitsugu

Committee Member(s)

• Dahmen, Karin A.
• Selvin, Paul R.
• Weissman, Michael B.

Department of Study

Physics

Discipline

Physics

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• physics
• statistics
• avalanches
• non equilibrium
• neurons
• networks
• Nanocrystals
• random field Ising model
• correlated disorder

Abstract

The idea of systems that evolve via avalanches is a simple, yet powerful one. A collection of elements that interact with one another, with each element possessing the ability to change the state of other elements when it undergoes a change. These other newly changed elements may affect yet more, and in this way a single initial event can trigger a cascade of activity. I apply the ideas of non-equilibrium, avalanching models with quenched disorder to three different sys- tems. The first system is the neuronal network in in vitro rat cortex; neurons generate electrical impulses that travel along axons and dendrites to potentiall influence the behavior of other neurons. The second sys- tem is the deformation characteristics of nanoscale metallic pillars; increasing stress dislodges dislocations which interact elastically with other dislocations. The third system the random field Ising model, with the twist of introducing long range correlations in the quenched disorder. The differing nature of the systems emphasizes the very strong utility of these models, that are very simple, yet enable powerful statistical predictions about a wide range of systems.

Graduation Semester

2013-08

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/45523

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2013 Nir Friedman. All rights reserved.

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