diffusion-limited aggregation


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diffusion-limited aggregation

[də′fyü·zhən ¦lim·əd·əd ag·rə′gā·shən]
(physics)
A mathematical model for particle aggregation processes, such as the growth of a metal deposit on an electrochemical cell, in which particles move according to a random walk process until they arrive at a certain fixed distance from the current aggregate, where they stick to it.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
References in periodicals archive ?
Makse of Boston University looked at Fractal Cities, he wasn't impressed with the match between the patterns generated by models based on diffusion-limited aggregation and the actual patterns of urban sprawl illustrated in the book.
The shapes of cities; mapping out fractal models of urban growth
Reporting in the November 1989 Journal of the Physical Society of Japan, Matsushita noted that Bacillus subtilis grown on dry, nutrient-poor agar plates tends to fan out into patterns that strongly resemble a fractal pattern seen in nonliving systems, called a diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA).
Bacterial chatter: how patterns reveal clues about bacteria's chemical communication
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