The Abelian Sandpile Model (ASM) was created by Dhar in
1990. It is a generalization of the sandpile model proposed
by
Bak-Tang-Wiesenfeld
(1987) as an example of
self-organized criticality,
having especially nice mathematical
properties. The ASM is connected to a wide range of
mathematics: Markov processes and statistical mechanics,
combinatorics (tilings, the Tutte polynomial, parking functions,
the matrix-tree theorem), algebraic geometry (lattice ideals),
graph analogues to Riemann surfaces, and tropical geometry.
This website provides resources for studying sandpiles. Make sure to check
out the Gallery and Bryan
Head's incredible
application.
