Osvanny Ramos

Vortex avalanches with robust statistics observed in superconducting niobium

In 1993 Tang proposed [1] that vortex avalanches should produce a self organized critical state in superconductors, but conclusive evidence for this has heretofore been lacking. In the present paper, we report extensive micro-Hall probe data from the vortex dynamics in superconducting niobium, where a broad distribution of avalanche sizes scaling as a power-law for more than two decades is found. The measurements are combined with magneto-optical imaging, and show that over a widely varying magnetic landscape the scaling behaviour does not change, hence establishing that the dynamics of superconducting vortices is a SOC phenomenon.

Sandpile formation by revolving rivers.

Experimental observation of a new mechanism of sandpile formation is reported. As a steady stream of dry sand is poured onto a horizontal surface, a pile forms which has a thin river of sand on one side flowing from the apex of the pile to the edge of its base. The river rotates about the pile, depositing a new layer of sand with each revolution, thereby causing the pile to grow. For small piles the river is steady and the pile formed is smooth. For larger piles, the river becomes intermittent and the surface of the pile becomes undulating. The essential features of the system that produce the phenomenon are discussed, and the robustness of the phenomena is demonstrated with experiments using different boundary conditions and sands.

Quasiperiodic events in an earthquake model

We introduce a modification of the Olami-Feder-Christensen earthquake model [Phys. Rev. Lett. 68, 1244 (1992)10.1103/PhysRevLett.68.1244] in order to improve the resemblence with the Burridge-Knopoff mechanical model and with possible laboratory experiments. A constant and finite force continually drives the system, resulting in instantaneous relaxations. Dynamical disorder is added to the thresholds following a narrow distribution. We find quasiperiodic behavior in the avalanche time series with a period proportional to the degree of dissipation of the system. Periodicity is not as robust as criticality when the threshold force distribution widens, or when an increasing noise is introduced in the values of the dissipation.