Universal Scaling Laws for Large Events in Driven Nonequilibrium Systems

Abstract

For many driven-nonequilibrium systems, the probability distribution functions of magnitude and recurrence-time of large events follow a powerlaw indicating a strong temporal correlation. In this paper we argue why these probability distribution functions are ubiquitous in driven nonequilibrium systems, and we derive universal scaling laws connecting the magnitudes, recurrence-time, and spatial intervals of large events. The relationships between the scaling exponents have also been studied. We show that the ion-channel current in Voltage-dependent Anion Channels obeys the universal scaling law.

9 pages, 5 figures