Driving rate effects in avalanche-mediated, first-order phase   transitions
  We have studied the driving rate and temperature dependence of the power-law exponents that characterize the avalanche distribution in first-order phase transitions. Measurements of acoustic emission in structural transitions in Cu-Zn-Al and Cu-Al-Ni are presented. We show how the observed behaviour emerges within a general framework of competing time scales of avalanche relaxation, driving rate, and thermal fluctuations. We have confirmed our findings by numerical simulations of a prototype model. 
Francisco-Jose Perez-Reche, Bosiljka Tadic, Lluis Manosa, Antoni   Planes, Eduard Vives