Meta-universality classes at criticality

TL;DR

This paper introduces the concept of meta-universality classes to distinguish different critical dynamics in systems, providing a robust method to infer criticality from continuous measurements, validated in simulations and human brain recordings.

Contribution

It defines meta-universality classes based on qualitative behaviors of critical systems and offers a new way to test for criticality in empirical data.

Findings

Different behaviors depend on the universality class

Method accurately infers criticality from electrophysiological data

Evidence supports criticality in human brain dynamics

Abstract

Inferring the presence of critical dynamics from continuous measure- ments is a challenging problem. We solve this problem by showing that continuous narrowband dynamics from a critical system exhibit qualita- tively differing behaviors which depend on the universality class; we term each region of critical avalanche parameters which generates qualitatively constant behavior a meta-universality class. This theoretical observation allows us to infer membership of a given meta-universality class and thus yields a robust test for criticality. We validate these theoretical predic- tions in simulations and provide unequivocal evidence for criticality in the human brain on the basis electrophysiological recordings.