Avalanches in One-Dimensional Piles with Different Types of Bases

Abstract

We perform a systematic experimental study of the influence of the type of base on the avalanche dynamics of slowly driven 1D ball piles. The control of base details allows us to explore a wide spectrum of pile structures and dynamics. The scaling properties of the observed avalanche distributions suggest that self-organized critical behavior is approached as the ``base-induced'' disorder at the pile profile increases.