Self-organized criticality

Self-organized criticality, also known as self -organized criticality (SOC ) is a phenomenon that can occur in dynamic systems. A dynamic system is in a critical state when the parameters of the system correspond to a phase transition. In a self-organized critical system, the parameters of the system approach with themselves over time the critical point (the critical point in this case is an attractor ). It follows the specifics of such systems is that they largely show independent of the choice of initial parameters the typical characteristics of a critical state.

Typical properties of critical systems such as scale invariance and 1/f-noise can be observed in many areas. Examples are the magnitude of earthquakes ( Gutenberg - Richter law ), the size of avalanches or the frequency of words ( Zipfsches Act). It seems unlikely that the parameters of such systems are at a critical point should be inferred. This is an excellent self-organized criticality as an explanation for the frequent occurrence of critical properties because it does not require any external control of the parameters. Complex structures spontaneously arise solely due to the interaction of individual elements of the system.

Although there are already many models that exhibit self-organized criticality, no general condition is known so far, it follows from the self-organized criticality.

Examples

• Bak -Tang - Wiesenfeld model for avalanches
• Bak - Sneppen model of evolution
• Throttle - Schwabl model for forest fires
• Olami - spring -Christensen model of earthquakes

Swell

• Dynamic system
• Cybernetics
• Systems theory