Statistical physics of fracture and breakdown: Models and Forecasting
ABSTRACT :
From devastating earthquakes to wide spread power outages, catastrophic events can disrupt our everyday lives in various ways. A major goal of research for physicists and engineers alike has been to forecast such catastrophic events. We will discuss methods from statistical physics community to identify hot-spots for such events. Analysis of data and models for self-organized critical dynamics of these systems will be presented with merits, demerits and possible future directions.