Self-Organized Criticality Driven by Deterministic Rules

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that self-organized criticality can be achieved through deterministic chaotic rules instead of randomness, expanding understanding of the mechanisms behind SOC in complex systems.

Contribution

It shows that deterministic chaotic maps can replace random update rules in SOC models without losing critical behavior, revealing new universality classes.

Findings

Chaotic maps can substitute random rules in SOC models.

SOC persists with periodic maps if the frequency spectrum is broad.

Different universality classes emerge with periodic maps.

Abstract

We have investigated the essential ingredients allowing a system to show Self Organized Criticality (SOC) in its collective behavior. Using the Bak-Sneppen model of biological evolution as our paradigm, we show that the random microscopic rules of update can be effectively substituted with a chaotic map without changing the universality class. Using periodic maps SOC is preserved, but in a different universality class, as long as the spectrum of frequencies is broad enough.