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JOURNALS // Matematicheskii Sbornik // Archive

Mat. Sb., 2023 Volume 214, Number 12, Pages 3–25 (Mi sm9789)

Convergence of a sandpile on a triangular lattice under rescaling

A. A. Alieva, N. S. Kalininb

a Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Saint Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
b Guangdong Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Shantou, Guangdong Province, P. R. China

Abstract: We present a survey of results on convergence in sandpile models. For a sandpile model on a triangular lattice we prove results similar to the ones known for a square lattice. Namely, consider the sandpile model on the integer points of the plane and put $n$ grains of sand at the origin. Let us begin the process of relaxation: if the number of grains of sand at some vertex $z$ is not less than its valency (in this case we say that the vertex $z$ is unstable), then we move a grain of sand from $z$ to each adjacent vertex, and then repeat this operation as long as there are unstable vertices. We prove that the support of the state $(n\delta_0)^\circ$ in which the process stabilizes grows at a rate of $\sqrt n$ and, after rescaling with coefficient $\sqrt n$, $(n\delta_0)^\circ$ has a limit in the weak-$^*$ topology.
This result was established by Pegden and Smart for the square lattice (where every vertex is connected with four nearest neighbours); we extend it to a triangular lattice (where every vertex is connected with six neighbours).
Bibliography: 39 titles.

Keywords: sandpile models, discrete harmonic and superharmonic functions, discrete Green's function, triangular lattice.

MSC: Primary 60K35; Secondary 28A80, 35R02

Received: 05.05.2022 and 30.07.2023

DOI: 10.4213/sm9789


 English version:
Sbornik: Mathematics, 2023, 214:12, 1651–1673

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© Steklov Math. Inst. of RAS, 2024