Power-law and log-normal avalanche size statistics in random growth processes

Abstract: We study the avalanche statistics observed in a minimal random growth model. The growth is governed by a reproduction rate obeying a probability distribution with finite mean a and variance va. These two control parameters determine if the avalanche size tends to a stationary distribution, (Finite Scale statistics with finite mean and variance or Power-Law tailed statistics with exponent in (1, 3]), or instead to a non-stationary regime with Log-Normal statistics. Numerical results and their statistical analysis are presented for a uniformly distributed growth rate, which are corroborated and generalized by analytical results. The latter show that the numerically observed avalanche regimes exist for a wide family of growth rate distributions and provide a precise definition of the boundaries between the three regimes.