Cluster formation in complex multi-scale systems

Based on the competition between members of a hierarchy of length scales in complex multi-scale systems, it is shown how clustering of active quantities into concentrated sets, like bubbles in a Swiss cheese, is a generic property that dominates the intermittent structure. The halo-like surfaces of these clusters have scaling exponents lower than that of their kernels, which can be as high as the domain dimension. Examples include spots in fluid turbulence and droplets in spin-glasses.