Fractional transport equations are used to build an effective model for transport across the running sandpile cellular automaton [Hwa et al., Phys. Rev. A 45, 7002 (1992)]. It is shown that both temporal and spatial fractional derivatives must be considered to properly reproduce the sandpile transport features, which are governed by self-organized criticality, at least over sufficiently long or large scales. In contrast to previous applications of fractional transport equations to other systems, the specifics of sand motion require in this case that the spatial fractional derivatives used for the running sandpile must be of the completely asymmetrical Riesz-Feller type. Appropriate values for the fractional exponents that define these derivatives in the case of the running sandpile are obtained numerically.

• Received 18 October 2017
• Revised 8 February 2018

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.97.052123