Crackling dynamics in material failure as the signature of a   self-organized dynamic phase transition
  We derive here a linear elastic stochastic description for slow crack growth in heterogeneous materials. This approach succeeds in reproducing quantitatively the intermittent crackling dynamics observed recently during the slow propagation of a crack along a weak heterogeneous plane of a transparent Plexiglas block [M{\aa}l{\o}y {\it et al.}, PRL {\bf 96} 045501]. In this description, the quasi-static failure of heterogeneous media appears as a self-organized critical phase transition. As such, it exhibits universal and to some extent predictable scaling laws, analogue to that of other systems like for example magnetization noise in ferromagnets. 
Daniel Bonamy (SPCSI), St\'ephane Santucci, Laurent Ponson (SPCSI)