Self-organized dynamical equilibrium in the corrosion of random solids

Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati Guwahati-781039, Assam, India

Received: 2 May 2005
Accepted: 20 June 2005

Abstract

Self-organized criticality is characterized by power law correlations in the non-equilibrium steady state of externally driven systems. A dynamical system proposed here self-organizes into a critical state with no characteristic size at “dynamical equilibrium”. The system is a random solid in contact with an aqueous solution and the dynamics is the chemical reaction of corrosion or dissolution of the solid in the solution. The initial difference in chemical potential at the solid-liquid interface provides the driving force. During time evolution, the system undergoes roughening and anti-percolation transitions. Finally, the system evolves to a dynamical equilibrium state characterized by constant chemical potential and average cluster size. The cluster size distribution exhibits power law at the final equilibrium state.