We develop a general theory of transport-limited aggregation phenomena occurring on curved surfaces, based on stochastic iterated conformal maps and conformal projections to the complex plane. To illustrate the theory, we use stereographic projections to simulate diffusion-limited-aggregation (DLA) on surfaces of constant Gaussian curvature, including the sphere ($K>0$) and pseudo-sphere ($K<0$), which approximate "bumps" and "saddles" in smooth surfaces, respectively. Although curvature affects the global morphology of the aggregates, the fractal dimension (in the curved metric) is remarkably insensitive to curvature, as long as the particle size is much smaller than the radius of curvature. We conjecture that all aggregates grown by conformally invariant transport on curved surfaces have the same fractal dimension as DLA in the plane. Our simulations suggest, however, that the multifractal dimensions increase from hyperbolic ($K<0$) to elliptic ($K>0$) geometry, which we attribute to curvature-dependent screening of tip branching.
Diffusion limited aggregation is studied from the perspective of computational complexity. A parallel algorithm is exhibited that requires a number of steps that scales as the depth of the tree defined by the cluster. The existence of this algorithm suggests a connection between a fundamental computational and structural property of DLA.
Diffusion-limited aggregation is consistent with simple scaling. However, strong subdominant terms are present, and these can account for various earlier claims of anomalous scaling. We show this in detail for the case of multiscaling.
We investigate the diffusion limited aggregation of particles executing persistent random walks. The scaling properties of both random walks and large aggregates are presented. The aggregates exhibit a crossover between ballistic and diffusion limited aggregation models. A non-trivial scaling relation $ξ\sim\ell^{1.25}$ between the characteristic size $ξ$, in which the cluster undergoes a morphological transition, and the persistence length $\ell$, between ballistic and diffusive regimes of the random walk, is observed.
We performed extensive numerical simulation of diffusion-limited aggregation in two dimensional channel geometry. Contrary to earlier claims, the measured fractal dimension D = 1.712 +- 0.002 and its leading correction to scaling are the same as in the radial case. The average cluster, defined as the average conformal map, is similar but not identical to Saffman-Taylor fingers.
It had been conjectured that Diffusion Limited Aggregates and Laplacian Growth patterns (with small surface tension) are in the same universality class. Using iterated conformal maps we construct a 1-parameter family of fractal growth patterns with a continuously varying fractal dimension. This family can be used to bound the dimension of Laplacian Growth patterns from below. The bound value is higher than the dimension of Diffusion Limited Aggregates, showing that the two problems belong to two different universality classes.
Cylindrical lattice diffusion limited aggregation (DLA), with a narrow width N, is solved for site-sticking conditions using a Markovian matrix method (which was previously developed for the bond-sticking case). This matrix contains the probabilities that the front moves from one configuration to another at each growth step, calculated exactly by solving the Laplace equation and using the proper normalization. The method is applied for a series of approximations, which include only a finite number of rows near the front. The fractal dimensionality of the aggregate is extrapolated to a value ne…
Using simple kinematical arguments, we derive the Fokker-Planck equation for diffusion processes in curved spacetimes. In the case of Brownian motion, it coincides with Eckart's relativistic heat equation (albeit in a simpler form), and therefore provides a microscopic justification for his phenomenological heat-flux ansatz. Furthermore, we obtain the small-time asymptotic expansion of the mean square displacement of Brownian motion in static spacetimes. Beyond general relativity itself, this result has potential applications in analogue gravitational systems.
We explore the macroscopic consequences of lattice anisotropy for Diffusion Limited Aggregation (DLA) in three dimensions. Simple cubic and BCC lattice growths are shown to approach universal asymptotic states in a coherent fashion, and the approach is accelerated by the use of noise reduction. These states are strikingly anisotropic dendrites with a rich hierarchy of structure. For growth on an FCC lattice, our data suggest at least two stable fixed points of anisotropy, one matching the BCC case. Hexagonal growths, favouring six planar and two polar directions, appear to approach a line of a…
Diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA) assumes that particles perform pure random walk at a finite temperature and aggregate when they come close enough and stick together. Although it is well known that DLA in two dimensions results in a ramified fractal structure, how the particle shape influences the formed morphology is still unclear. In this work, we perform the off-lattice two-dimensional DLA simulations with different particle shapes of triangle, quadrangle, pentagon, hexagon, and octagon, respectively, and compared with the results for circular particles. Our results indicate that differe…
The persistence probability, $P_C(t)$, of a cluster to remain unaggregated is studied in cluster-cluster aggregation, when the diffusion coefficient of a cluster depends on its size $s$ as $D(s) \sim s^γ$. In the mean-field the problem maps to the survival of three annihilating random walkers with time-dependent noise correlations. For $γ\ge 0$ the motion of persistent clusters becomes asymptotically irrelevant and the mean-field theory provides a correct description. For $γ< 0$ the spatial fluctuations remain relevant and the persistence probability is overestimated by the random walk theory.…
Several models based on the diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA) model were proposed and their scaling properties explored by computational and theoretical approaches. In this paper, we consider a new extension of the on-lattice DLA model in which the unitary random steps are replaced by random flights of fixed length. This procedure reduces the screening for particle penetration present in the original DLA model and, consequently, generates new pattern classes. The patterns have DLA-like scaling properties at small length of the random flights. However, as the flight size increases, the patter…
Diffusive transport is characterized by the scaling law $(length)^{2}\propto(time)$. In this letter we show that this relationship is significantly altered in curved analogue spacetimes. This circumstance provides an opportunity to tailor diffusion: by a suitable design of the analogue metric, it is possible to create materials where diffusion is either faster or slower than in normal media, as desired. This prediction can in principle be tested experimentally with optical analogues, curved graphene sheets, etc. - indeed with any analogue spacetime.
The paper suggests a generalisation of the diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA) based on using a general stochastic process to control particle movements before sticking to a growing cluster. This leads to models with variable characteristics that can provide a single framework for treating a number of earlier models of fractal growth: the DLA, the Eden model and the ballistic aggregation. Additionally, a classification of fractal growth models is suggested.
We investigate statistical properties of trails formed by a random process incorporating aggregation, fragmentation, and diffusion. In this stochastic process, which takes place in one spatial dimension, two neighboring trails may combine to form a larger one and also, one trail may split into two. In addition, trails move diffusively. The model is defined by two parameters which quantify the fragmentation rate and the fragment size. In the long-time limit, the system reaches a steady state, and our focus is the limiting distribution of trail weights. We find that the density of trail weight h…
In a non-equilibrium system, a Constant Flux Relation (CFR) expresses the fact that a constant flux of a conserved quantity exactly determines the scaling of the particular correlation function linked to the flux of that conserved quantity. This is true regardless of whether mean--field theory is applicable or not. We focus on cluster--cluster aggregation and discuss the consequences of mass conservation for the steady state of aggregation models with a monomer source in the diffusion-limited regime. We derive the CFR for the flux-carrying correlation function for binary aggregation with a gen…
We propose a revision of the classic mean-field approach of diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA) model originally introduced by Witten and Sander [Phys. Rev. Lett. 47, 1400 (1981)]. The derived nonlinear mean-field equations providing lattice anisotropy are used to model diffusional growth on square lattice in linear and circular source geometries. The overall cluster shapes obtained from the mean-field calculations are found to satisfy the known scaling behavior experimentally observed for DLA simulations.
We study the nonequilibrium phase transition in a model of aggregation of masses allowing for diffusion, aggregation on contact and fragmentation. The model undergoes a dynamical phase transition in all dimensions. The steady state mass distribution decays exponentially for large mass in one phase. On the contrary, in the other phase it has a power law tail and in addition an infinite aggregate. The model is solved exactly within a mean field approximation which keeps track of the distribution of masses. In one dimension, by mapping to an equivalent lattice gas model, exact steady states are o…
In this paper, we present results of extensive Monte Carlo simulations of diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA) with a seed placed on an attractive plane as a simple model in connection with the electrical double layers. We compute the fractal dimension of the aggregated patterns as a function of the attraction strength α. For the patterns grown in both two and three dimensions, the fractal dimension shows a significant dependence on the attraction strength for small values of α, and approaches to that of the ordinary two-dimensional (2D) DLA in the limit of large α. For non-attracting case with…
In this work, the transition between diffusion-limited and ballistic aggregation models was revisited using a model in which biased random walks simulate the particle trajectories. The bias is controlled by a parameter $λ$, which assumes the value $λ=0$ (1) for ballistic (diffusion-limited) aggregation model. Patterns growing from a single seed were considered. In order to simulate large clusters, a new efficient algorithm was developed. For $λ\ne 0$, the patterns are fractal on the small length scales, but homogeneous on the large ones. We evaluated the mean density of particles $\barρ$ in th…
We investigate the aggregation kinetics of sedimenting particles theoretically and numerically, using the advection-diffusion equation. Agglomeration, caused by both transport mechanisms (diffusion and advection), is important for small particles, like primary ash or soot particles in atmosphere, and large particles of equal or close size, where the advection mechanism is weak. For small Peclet numbers, which quantify the relative importance of diffusion and advection, we obtain the aggregation rates, as an expansion in Peclet numbers. For large Peclet numbers we use purely ballistic aggregati…
We investigate diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA) in a wedge geometry. Arneodo and collaborators have suggested that the ensemble average of DLA cluster density should be close to the noise-free selected Saffman-Taylor finger. We show that a different, but related, ensemble average, that of the conformal maps associated with random clusters, yields a non-trivial shape which is also not far from the Saffman-Taylor finger. However, we have previously demonstrated that the same average of DLA in a channel geometry is not the Saffman-Taylor finger. This casts doubt on the idea that the average of…
A microscopic model of the effect of unbinding in diffusion limited aggregation based on a cellular automata approach is presented. The geometry resembles electrochemical deposition - ``ions'' diffuse at random from the top of a container until encountering a cluster in contact with the bottom, to which they stick. The model exhibits dendritic (fractal) growth in the diffusion limited case. The addition of a field eliminates the fractal nature but the density remains low. The addition of molecules which unbind atoms from the aggregate transforms the deposit to a 100% dense one (in 3D). The mol…
A scaling theory is developed for diffusion-limited cluster aggregation in a porous medium, where the primary particles and clusters stick irreversibly to the walls of the pore space as well as to each other. Three scaling regimes are predicted, connected by smooth crossovers. The first regime is at low primary particle concentrations where the primary particles stick individually to the walls. The second regime is at intermediate concentrations where clusters grow to a certain size, smaller than the pore size, then stick individually to the walls. The third regime is at high concentrations wh…
We present a simple method for incorporating the surface tension effect into an iterative conformal mapping model of two-dimensional diffusion-limited aggregation. A curvature-dependent growth probability is introduced and the curvature is given by utilizing the branch points of a conformal map. The resulting cluster exhibits a crossover from compact to fractal growth. In the fractal growth regime, it is confirmed, by the conformal map technique, that the fractal dimension of its area and perimeter length coincide.
We investigate whether fractal viscous fingering and diffusion limited aggregates are in the same scaling universality class. We bring together the largest available viscous fingering patterns and a novel technique for obtaining the conformal map from the unit circle to an arbitrary singly connected domain in two dimensions. These two Laplacian fractals appear different to the eye; in addition, viscous fingering is grown in parallel and the aggregates by a serial algorithm. Nevertheless, the data strongly indicate that these two fractal growth patterns are in the same universality class.
We find for the first time the asymptotic representation of the solution to the space dependent variable order fractional diffusion and Fokker-Planck equations. We identify a new advection term that causes ultra-slow spatial aggregation of subdiffusive particles due to dominance over the standard advection and diffusion terms, in the long-time limit. This uncovers the anomalous mechanism by which non-uniform distributions can occur. We perform experiments on intracellular lysosomal distributions and Monte Carlo simulations and find excellent agreement between the asymptotic solution, particle …
We consider Feller mean-reverting square-root diffusion, which has been applied to model a wide variety of processes with linearly state-dependent diffusion, such as stochastic volatility and interest rates in finance, and neuronal and populations dynamics in natural sciences. We focus on the statistical mixing (or superstatistical) process in which the parameter related to the mean value can fluctuate - a plausible mechanism for the emergence of heavy-tailed distributions. We obtain analytical results for the associated probability density function (both stationary and time dependent), its co…
We show that various surface parameters in two-dimensional diffusion limited aggregation (DLA) grow linearly with the number of particles. We find the ratio of the average length of the perimeter and the accessible perimeter of a DLA cluster together with its external perimeters to the cluster size, and define a microscopic schematic procedure for attachment of an incident new particle to the cluster. We measure the fractal dimension of the red sites (i.e., the sites upon cutting each of them splits the cluster) equal to that of the DLA cluster. It is also shown that the average number of the …
An early (and influential) scaling relation in the multifractal theory of Diffusion Limited Aggregation(DLA) is the Turkevich-Scher conjecture that relates the exponent α_{min} that characterizes the ``hottest'' region of the harmonic measure and the fractal dimension D of the cluster, i.e. D=1+α_{min}. Due to lack of accurate direct measurements of both D and α_{min} this conjecture could never be put to serious test. Using the method of iterated conformal maps D was recently determined as D=1.713+-0.003. In this Letter we determine α_{min} accurately, with the result α_{min}=0.665+-0.004. We…
Cylindrical lattice Diffusion Limited Aggregation (DLA), with a narrow width N, is solved using a Markovian matrix method. This matrix contains the probabilities that the front moves from one configuration to another at each growth step, calculated exactly by solving the Laplace equation and using the proper normalization. The method is applied for a series of approximations, which include only a finite number of rows near the front. The matrix is then used to find the weights of the steady state growing configurations and the rate of approaching this steady state stage. The former are then us…
The cellular automaton model is used to simulate diffusion and aggregation with dissociation of point particles in 2D. A continuous phase transition is found that separates creation of compact aggregates and fractal ones. The transition is the function of pair-interaction energy ($E_b$), type of neighborhood and temperature $T$. Manifestations of the transition in real physical systems are discussed.
We simulated models of diffusion and aggregation in long pores of small widths in order to represent the basic mechanisms of coke deposition in catalysts' pores. Coke precursors are represented by particles injected at the pore entrance. Knudsen diffusion, which is usually expected inside the pores, is modeled by ballistic motion of those particles. The regime of molecular diffusion is also analyzed via models of lattice random walks biased along the pores. The aggregation at the surface or near previously aggregated particles was modeled by different probabilistic rules, accounting for the po…
We use the traveling front approach to derive exact asymptotic results for the statistics of the number of particles in a class of directed diffusion limited aggregation models on a Cayley tree. We point out that some aspects of these models are closely connected to two different problems in computer science, namely the digital search tree problem in data structures and the Lempel-Ziv algorithm for data compression. The statistics of the number of particles studied here is related to the statistics of height in digital search trees which, in turn, is related to the statistics of the length of …
We discuss the scaling of characteristic lengths in diffusion limited aggregation (DLA) clusters in light of recent developments using conformal maps. We are led to the conjecture that the apparently anomalous scaling of lengths is due to one slow crossover. This is supported by an analytical argument for the scaling of the penetration depth of newly arrived random walkers, and by numerical evidence on the Laurent coefficients which uniquely determine each cluster. We find a single crossover exponent of -0.3 for all the characteristic lengths in DLA. This gives a hint about the structure of th…
We introduce a simulation strategy to consistently couple continuum biomembrane dynamics to the motion of discrete biological macromolecules residing within or on the membrane. The methodology is used to study the diffusion of integral membrane proteins that impart a curvature on the bilayer surrounding them. Such proteins exhibit a substantial reduction in diffusion coefficient relative to "flat" proteins; this effect is explained by elementary hydrodynamic considerations.
We describe a new model to simulate the dynamic interactions between market price and the decisions of two different kind of traders. They possess spatial mobility allowing to group together to form coalitions. Each coalition follows a strategy chosen from a proportional voting ``dominated'' by a leader's decision. The interplay of both kind of agents gives rise to complex price dynamics that is consistent with the main stylized facts of financial time series.
The Patlak-Keller-Segel equation is a canonical model of chemotaxis to describe self-organized aggregation of organisms interacting with chemical signals. We investigate a variant of this model, assuming that the organisms exert effective pressure proportional to the number density. From the resulting set of partial differential equations, we derive a Lyapunov functional that can also be regarded as the free energy of this model, and minimize it with a Monte Carlo method to detect the condition for self-organized aggregation. Focusing on radially symmetric solutions on a two-dimensional disc, …
The diffusion limited aggregation model (DLA) and the more general dielectric breakdown model (DBM) are solved exactly in a two dimensional cylindrical geometry with periodic boundary conditions of width 2. Our approach follows the exact evolution of the growing interface, using the evolution matrix E, which is a temporal transfer matrix. The eigenvector of this matrix with an eigenvalue of one represents the system's steady state. This yields an estimate of the fractal dimension for DLA, which is in good agreement with simulations. The same technique is used to calculate the fractal dimension…
Though classical random walks have been studied for many years, research concerning their quantum analogues, quantum random walks, has only come about recently. Numerous simulations of both types of walks have been run and analyzed, and are generally well-understood. Research pertaining to one of the more important properties of classical random walks, namely, their ability to build fractal structures in diffusion-limited aggregation, has been particularly noteworthy. However, only now has research begun in this area in regards to quantum random motion. The study of random walks and the struct…
In this paper, we analyze the scaling behavior of \emph{Diffusion Limited Aggregation} (DLA) simulated by Hastings-Levitov method. We obtain the fractal dimension of the clusters by direct analysis of the geometrical patterns in a good agreement with one obtained from analytical approach. We compute the two-point density correlation function and we show that in the large-size limit, it agrees with the obtained fractal dimension. These support the statistical agreement between the patterns and DLA clusters. We also investigate the scaling properties of various length scales and their fluctuatio…
The creation of fractal clusters by diffusion limited aggregation (DLA) is studied by using iterated stochastic conformal maps following the method proposed recently by Hastings and Levitov. The object of interest is the function $Φ^{(n)}$ which conformally maps the exterior of the unit circle to the exterior of an $n$-particle DLA. The map $Φ^{(n)}$ is obtained from $n$ stochastic iterations of a function $ϕ$ that maps the unit circle to the unit circle with a bump. The scaling properties usually studied in the literature on DLA appear in a new light using this language. The dimension of the …
Using off-lattice noise reduction it is possible to estimate the asymptotic properties of diffusion-limited aggregation clusters grown in three dimensions with greater accuracy than would otherwise be possible. The fractal dimension of these aggregates is found to be 2.50 +/- 0.01, in agreement with earlier studies, and the asymptotic value of the relative penetration depth is 0.122 +/- 0.002. The multipole powers of the growth measure also exhibit universal asymptotes. The fixed point noise reduction is estimated to be ε= 0.0035 meaning that large clusters can be identified with a low noise r…
A parallel algorithm for ``diffusion-limited aggregation'' (DLA) is described and analyzed from the perspective of computational complexity. The dynamic exponent z of the algorithm is defined with respect to the probabilistic parallel random-access machine (PRAM) model of parallel computation according to $T \sim L^{z}$, where L is the cluster size, T is the running time, and the algorithm uses a number of processors polynomial in L\@. It is argued that z=D-D_2/2, where D is the fractal dimension and D_2 is the second generalized dimension. Simulations of DLA are carried out to measure D_2 and…
Using stochastic conformal mapping techniques we study the patterns emerging from Laplacian growth with a power-law decaying threshold for growth $R_N^{-γ}$ (where $R_N$ is the radius of the $N-$ particle cluster). For $γ> 1$ the growth pattern is in the same universality class as diffusion limited aggregation (DLA) growth, while for $γ< 1$ the resulting patterns have a lower fractal dimension $D(γ)$ than a DLA cluster due to the enhancement of growth at the hot tips of the developing pattern. Our results indicate that a pinning transition occurs at $γ= 1/2$, significantly smaller than might b…
We introduce a lattice gas model of cluster growth via the diffusive aggregation of particles in a closed system obeying a local, deterministic, microscopically reversible dynamics. This model roughly corresponds to placing the irreversible Diffusion Limited Aggregation model (DLA) in contact with a heat bath. Particles release latent heat when aggregating, while singly connected cluster members can absorb heat and evaporate. The heat bath is initially empty, hence we observe the flow of entropy from the aggregating gas of particles into the heat bath, which is being populated by diffusing hea…
