Anomalous Critical Behavior of Driven Disordered Systems Beyond the Overdamped Limit

TL;DR

This study explores how relaxation mechanisms influence the dynamics of driven disordered interfaces beyond the overdamped limit, revealing new regimes and avalanche behaviors in different dimensions and interaction ranges.

Contribution

It uncovers the impact of relaxation mechanisms on avalanche statistics and dynamical regimes in driven disordered systems beyond the overdamped approximation.

Findings

In 2D with long-range interactions, coexistence of pinned and flowing states occurs.

In 1D with long-range or short-range interactions, coexistence is absent.

Avalanche distributions show large, ballistic events replacing typical power-law behavior.

Abstract

We investigate the role of relaxation mechanisms in the driven response of elastic disordered interfaces in finite dimensions, focusing on the interplay between dimensionality and interaction range. Through extensive numerical simulations, we identify two distinct dynamical regimes. In two-dimensional systems with long-range interactions, we observe a regime of coexistence between pinned and flowing states. In contrast, for one-dimensional interfaces with long-range elasticity, as well as for short-range interactions in both 1D and 2D, the coexistence regime is absent. Nevertheless, the avalanche statistics differ significantly from those of overdamped systems: the usual power-law distribution is replaced by a pronounced bump, associated with large, anomalous avalanches that expand ballistically. We interpret these events as failed synchronization attempts and suggest they could be detected in experimental systems.