Percolation
Percolation
This chapter explores a lattice-based system where complex structures can arise from pure randomness: percolation, typically described as the passage of liquid through a porous or granular medium. In its more abstract form, percolation is an exemplar of criticality, a concept in statistical physics related to phase transitions. A classic example of criticality is liquid water boiling into water vapor, or freezing into ice. The chapter first provides an overview of percolation in one and two dimensions before discussing the use of a tagging algorithm for identifying and sizing clusters. It then considers fractal clusters on a lattice at the percolation threshold, scale invariance of power-law behavior, and critical behavior of natural systems. The chapter includes exercises and further computational explorations, along with a suggested list of materials for further reading.
Keywords: complex structure, percolation, criticality, phase transition, tagging algorithm, clusters, fractal clusters, percolation threshold, scale invariance, power-law
Princeton Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs , and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.
