OFC-like Behavior in Experimental Granular Piles

Abstract

Scale-invariant avalanche dynamics are commonly associated with criticality and robust, universal size exponents. Dissipation is generally expected to drive the system away from the critical point, progressively suppressing large events. The Olami--Feder--Christensen (OFC) model challenges this picture: in its non-conservative regime, the avalanche-size exponent is non-universal and can exceed the mean-field value $\tau=3/2$, while system-spanning events persist even at large dissipation. Here, we show that these apparently anomalous features are also observed experimentally in a two-dimensional granular system displaying scale-invariant avalanche dynamics. By increasing interparticle friction, and therefore dissipation, the avalanche-size exponent increases from $\tau=1.58$ to $\tau=1.83$, while the upper cutoff remains proportional to the system size. We further identify similarities between experiment and the OFC model in their memory effects, local dynamics, and the emergence of better-than-random predictability of large events. The latter indicates that the system does not remain permanently critical, but instead evolves through configurations with different propensities to generate extreme events. Our results suggest that OFC-like dynamics are not merely an anomalous feature of a particular model, but may provide a relevant framework for understanding scale-invariant dynamics with $\tau>3/2$ in real dissipative systems.