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DY: Dynamik und Statistische Physik

DY 46: Poster

DY 46.7: Poster

Thursday, March 29, 2001, 15:45–18:15, Foyer S\ 3

Statistical Models of Fragmentation — •Christopher Pownall¹, Paul Mulheran², and Franz Schwabl¹ — ¹Lehrstuhl V für Theoretische Physik, Physik Department, Technische Universität München, D-85747 Garching, Deutschland — ²JJ Thomson Physical Laboratory, PO Box 220 Whitekights, University of Reading, Berkshire RG6 6AF, United Kingdom

Fragmentation is a ubiquitous phenomenon, yet one which is not well understood. Experimental studies have shown that in certain systems there appears to be transition from a lognormal to a powerlaw form for the fragment size distribution as the amount of energy put into the system increases. In this paper we present results from a number of models in which fragmentation is modelled as a recursive, hierarchical process in which large fragments break into smaller ones according to simple stochastic rules. We show how particular combinations of these rules may bring about the size distributions seen in experiments, and demonstrate an analytical approach to modelling fragmentation using a variation of the Bethe lattice.