Aftershock production rate of driven viscoelastic interfaces

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Condensed Matter Physics
• Statistical Mechanics

Background:

• Avalanches in interface depinning models exhibit complex aftershock dynamics.
• Viscoelastic relaxation effects are crucial for understanding post-avalanche behavior.
• The Omori law describes the temporal decay of seismic aftershocks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analytically and numerically investigate aftershock statistics in viscoelastic interface depinning models.
• To correlate aftershock decay laws with interface roughness and relaxation properties.
• To determine factors influencing the decay exponent of aftershocks.

Main Methods:

• Analytical calculations.
• Numerical simulations of interface depinning models.
• Analysis of aftershock decay laws over time.

Main Results:

• Aftershock decay is explained by interface roughness and its evolution due to relaxation.
• A single viscoelastic relaxation time leads to exponential aftershock decay.
• Wave-vector dependent relaxation results in a power-law decay compatible with the Omori law.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a unified framework for understanding aftershock statistics in viscoelastic models.
• Interface properties and relaxation mechanisms dictate the temporal decay of aftershocks.
• Findings offer insights into seismic aftershock patterns through physical modeling.