Nontrivial temporal scaling in a Galilean stick-slip dynamics

We examine the stick-slip fluctuating response of a rough massive nonrotating cylinder moving on a rough inclined groove which is submitted to weak external perturbations and which is maintained well below the angle of repose. The experiments presented here, which are reminiscent of Galileo's works with rolling objects on inclines, have brought in the last years important insights into the friction between surfaces in relative motion and are of relevance for earthquakes, differing from classical block-spring models by the mechanism of energy input in the system. Robust nontrivial temporal scaling laws appearing in the dynamics of this system are reported, and it is shown that the time-support where dissipation occurs approaches a statistical fractal set with a fixed value of dimension. The distribution of periods of inactivity in the intermittent motion of the cylinder is also studied and found to be closely related to the lacunarity of a random version of the classic triadic Cantor set on the line.