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Synchronized stress oscillations in depinning models with aging

F. V. Pereyra Aponte and E. A. Jagla

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Phys. Rev. E 114, 024140 – Published 21 August, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/qg7c-k2rx

Abstract

We propose a model that extends the standard depinning paradigm by incorporating an aging mechanism into the local pinning force. This favors oscillations between a stuck state of large pinning and a slipping state of smaller pinning. We show that for mean field interactions between sites this mechanism can lead to the appearance of “king avalanches” and global instabilities, producing a global oscillatory stick-slip stress regime. We construct the phase diagram for this mean field case and identify regions of smooth dynamics, pure stick-slip, and bistability. Crucially, when considering two-dimensional systems with short-range interactions we find that states of global stress oscillation persist, but in contrast to the mean field case, no system-size avalanches appear. Instead, we observe alternating temporal intervals of larger and lower avalanche activity that correlate with the stress oscillations.

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Information

Phys. Rev. E 114, 024140– Published 21 August, 2026
  • Received 18 April 2026
  • Accepted 30 July 2026
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