Percolation threshold is a mathematical term related to percolation theory, which is the formation of long-range connectivity in random systems. In engineering and coffee making, percolation is the slow flow of fluids through porous media, but in the mathematics and physics worlds it generally refers to simplified lattice models of random systems, and the nature of the connectivity on them. The percolation threshold is the critical value of the occupation probability p, or more generally a critical surface for a group of parameters p1, p2, ..., such that infinite connectivity (percolation) first occurs.
The most common percolation model is to take a regular lattice, like a square lattice, and make it into a random network by randomly "occupying" sites (vertices) or bonds (edges) with a statistically independent probability p. At a critical threshold pc, long-range connectivity first appears, and this is called the percolation threshold. More general systems have several probabilities p1, p2, etc., and the transition is characterized by a critical surface or manifold. One can also consider continuum systems, such as overlapping disks and spheres placed randomly, or the negative space (Swiss-cheese models).
In the systems described so far, it has been assumed that the occupation of a site or bond is completely random -- this is the so-called Bernoulli percolation. For a continuum system, random occupancy corresponds to the points being placed by a Poisson process. Further variations involve correlated percolation, such as percolation clusters related to Ising and Potts models of ferromagnets, in which the bonds are put down by the Fortuin-Kasteleyn method. [1] In bootstrap or k-sat percolation, sites and/or bonds are first occupied and then successively culled from a system if a site does not have at least k neighbors. Another important model of percolation, in a different universality class altogether, is directed percolation, where connectivity along a bond depends upon the direction of the flow.
Over the last several decades, a tremendous amount of work has gone into finding exact and approximate values of the percolation thresholds for a variety of these systems. Exact thresholds are only known for certain two-dimensional lattices that can be broken up into a self-dual array, such that under a triangle-triangle transformation, the system remains the same. Studies using numerical methods have led to numerous improvements in algorithms and several theoretical discoveries.
The purpose of this page is to gather in one place the most up-to-date precise values of percolation thresholds and critical surfaces, including all the exact results that are known.
The notation such as (4,82) comes from Grünbaum and Shepard, [2] and indicates that around a given vertex, going in the clockwise direction, one encounters first a square and then two octagons. Besides the eleven Archimedean lattices composed of regular polygons with every site equivalent, many other more complicated lattices with sites of different classes have been studied.
| Lattice | z | Site Percolation Threshold | Bond Percolation Threshold |
|---|---|---|---|
| (3, 122 ) | 3 | 0.807900764... = (1 - 2 sin (π/18))1/2 [3] | 0.74042195(80)[4],
0.74042081(10) [5] |
| (4, 6, 12) | 3 | 0.747806(4) [3] | 0.69373383(72)[4] |
| honeycomb (63) | 3 | 0.697043(3)[3] 0.6970413(10) [5] | 0.652703645... = 1-2 sin (π/18), 3p2 − p3 = 1 [6] |
| (4, 82) | 4 | 0.729724(3) [3] | 0.67680232(63)[4] |
| kagomé (3, 6, 3, 6) | 4 | 0.652703645... = 1 - 2 sin(π/18) [6] | 0.5244053(3) [7], |
| (3, 4, 6, 4) | 4 | 0.621819(3) [3] | 0.52483258(53)[4] |
| square (44) | 4 | 0.59274621(13) [9] 0.59274598(4) [10][11],
0.59274605(3)[8] |
1/2 |
| (34,6 ) | 5 | 0.579498(3) [3] | 0.43430621(50)[4] |
| (32, 4, 3, 4 ) | 5 | 0.550806(3) [3] | 0.41413743(46)[4] |
| (33, 42) | 5 | 0.550213(3) [3] | 0.41964191(43) [4] |
| triangular (36) | 6 | 1/2 | 0.347296355... = 2 sin (π/18), 3p − p3 = 1 [6] |
Note: sometimes "hexagonal" is used in place of honeycomb, although in some fields, a triangular lattice is also called "hexagonal" (as in hexagonal lattice). z = bulk coordination number.
Also Im[(16 + 16*I)^(2/9)] = 2 Im[(-1)^(1/18)] = 0.3472963553338
Top 3 Lattices: (1/2)(36)+(1/2)(34,6) (1/4)(36)+(3/4)(34,6) (1/7)(36)+(6/7)(32,4,12)
Bottom 3 Lattices: (1/7)(36)+(6/7)(32,62) (1/2)(33)+(1/2)(42;3,4,6,4) (1/2)(34,6)+(1/2)(32,62)
[2]
Top 2 Lattices: (2/3)(3,42,6)+(1/3)(3,4,6,4) (1/2)(32,4,3,4)+(1/2)(3,4,6,4)
Bottom 2 Lattices: (1/2)(3,4,3,12)+(1/2)(3,122) (1/3)(3,4,6,4)+(2/3)(4,6,12)
[2]
Top 4 Lattices: (2/3)(33,42)+(1/3)(44) (1/2)(33,42)+(1/2)(44) (1/3)(36)+(2/3)(33,42) (1/2)(36)+(1/2)(33,42)
Bottom 3 Lattices: (4/5)(3,42,6)+(1/5)(3,6,3,6) (4/5)(3,42,6)+(1/5)(3,6,3,6)* (2/3)(32,62)+(1/3)(3,6,3,6)
[2]
Top 2 Lattices: (1/7)(36)+(6/7)(32,4,3,4) (1/3)(33,42)+(2/3)(32,4,3,4)
Bottom Lattice: (1/2)(33,42)+(1/2) (32,4,3,4)
| Lattice | z, z | Site Percolation Threshold | Bond Percolation Threshold |
|---|---|---|---|
| (1/2)(3,4,3,12) + (1/2)(3, 122) | 4,3 | 0.7680(2)[12] | 0.67493(5) [13] |
| (1/3)(3,4,6,4) + (2/3)(4,6,12) | 4,3 | 0.7157(2) [12] | 0.63909(5) [13] |
| (1/7)(36) + (6/7)(32,4,12) | 6,4 | 0.6808(2) [12] | 0.55778(5) [13] |
| (2/3)(32,62) + (1/3)(3,6,3,6) | 4,4 | 0.6499(2) [12] | 0.53632(5) [13] |
| (1/7)(36) + (6/7)(32,6) | 6,3 | 0.6329(2) [12] | 0.51708(5) [13] |
| (4/5)(3,42,6) + (1/5)(3,6,3,6) | 4,4 | 0.6286(2) [12] | 0.51892(5) [13] |
| (4/5)(3,42,6) + (1/5)(3,6,3,6) | 4,4 | 0.6279(2) [12] | 0.51769(5) [13] |
| (2/3)(3,42,6) + (1/3)(3,4,6,4) | 4,4 | 0.6221(2) [12] | 0.54810(5) [13] |
| (1/2)(34,6) + (1/2)(32,62) | 5,4 | 0.6171(2) [12] | 0.48921(5) [13] |
| (1/2)(33,42) + (1/2)(3,4,6,4) | 5,4 | 0.5885(2) [12] | 0.47351(5) [13] |
| (1/2)(32,4,3,4) + (1/2)(3,4,6,4) | 5,4 | 0.5883(2) [12] | 0.46573(5) [13] |
| (1/2)(33,42) + (1/2)(44) | 5,4 | 0.5720(2) [12] | 0.45845(5) [13] |
| (2/3)(33,42) + (1/3)(44) | 5,4 | 0.5648(2) [12] | 0.44529(5) [13] |
| (1/4)(36) + (3/4)(34,6) | 6,5 | 0.5607(2) [12] | 0.41110(5) [13] |
| (1/2)(33,42) + (1/2)(32,4,3,4) | 5,5 | 0.5505(2) [12] | 0.41628(5) [13] |
| (1/3)(33,42) + (2/3)(32,4,3,4) | 5,5 | 0.5504(2) [12] | 0.41549(5) [13] |
| (1/7)(36) + (6/7)(32,4,3,4) | 6,5 | 0.5440(2) [12] | 0.40380(5) [13] |
| (1/2)(36) + (1/2)(34,6) | 6,5 | 0.5407(2) [12] | 0.38915(5) [13] |
| (1/3)(36) + (2/3)(33,42) | 6,5 | 0.5342(2) [12] | 0.39492(5) [13] |
| (1/2)(36) + (1/2)(33,42) | 6,5 | 0.5258(2) [12] | 0.38285(5) [13] |
| Lattice | z | Site Percolation Threshold | Bond Percolation Threshold |
|---|---|---|---|
| martini | 3 | 0.764826..., 3 p3 - p4 = 1 [14] | 0.707107... = 1/ [15] |
| bowtie | 5 | 0.5472(2) [16] [17] | 0.404518..., p + 6 p2 - 6 p3 + p5 = 1 [18] |
| Lattice | z | Site Percolation Threshold | Bond Percolation Threshold |
|---|---|---|---|
| square covering lattice | 6 | 1/2 | 0.3371(1) [19] |
| Lattice | z | Site Percolation Threshold | Bond Percolation Threshold |
|---|---|---|---|
| bowtie with p = 1/2 on one non-diagonal bond | 3 | 0.381966(3) [20] |
| Lattice | Φc (critical volume fraction) | n (critical total number) |
|---|---|---|
| Disks | 0.6763475(6) [21] | 1.436322(2) [21] |
| Spheres | 0.401204(4) [22] | 0.652960(5) [22] |
| Lattice | z | Site Percolation Threshold | Bond Percolation Threshold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delauney triangulation | 6 (average) | 1/2 | 0.3333(1) [23] |
| Voronoi tessellation | 3 | 0.7140(2)[24] | 0.6670(1) [23] |
| Penrose rhomb tiling | 3 - 7 | 0.58391(1)[25] |
Open question: are the bond thresholds above exactly 1/3 and 2/3?
| Lattice | z | Site Percolation Threshold | Bond Percolation Threshold | Dimer Percolation Threshold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| simple cubic | 6 | 0.3116081(21)[26] | 0.2488126(5) [27] | 0.2555(1)[28] |
| bcc | 8 | 0.2459615(10)[29] | 0.1802875(10)[27] | |
| fcc | 12 | 0.1992365(10)[29] | 0.1201635(10)[27] | |
| hcp | 12 | 0.1992555(10)[30] | 0.1201640(10)[30] | |
| La2-x Srx Cu O4 | 12 | 0.19927(2) [31] | ||
| cubic with n.n.n. | 18 | 0.13735(5) [32] | ||
| cubic with n.n.n.n. | 26 | 0.0976445(10) [32] |
n.n.n. = next-nearest neighbor, n.n.n.n. = next-next nearest neighbor
Interesting observation: the bond thresholds for the HCP and FCC lattice agree within the small statistical error. Could they be identical, and if not, how far apart are they? Which is expected to be bigger?
| Lattice | z | Site Percolation Threshold | Bond Percolation Threshold |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1+1d square lattice | 2 | 0.70548522(4) [33] | 0.64470015(5) [34] |
| 1+1d triangular lattice | 3 | 0.5956468(5) [34] | 0.478025(1) [34] |
Inhomogeneous triangular lattice
Inhomogeneous honeycomb lattice
Inhomogeneous martini lattice [35]
1 − (p1p2r3 + p2p3r1 + p1p3r2) − (p1p2r1r2 + p1p3r1r3 + p2p3r2r3) + p1p2p3(r1r2 + r1r3 + r2r3) + r1r2r3(p1p2 + p1p3 + p2p3) − 2p1p2p3r1r2r3 = 0
Inhomogeneous martini-A (3-7) lattice
Inhomogeneous martini-B (3-5) lattice
Inhomogeneous checkerboard lattice (conjecture) [36]
1 − (p1p2 + p1p3 + p1p4 + p2p3 + p2p4 + p3p4) + p1p2p3 + p1p2p4 + p1p3p4 + p2p3p4 = 0