arXiv · cond-mat/0405534
Theoretical Characterization of the Interface in a Nonequilibrium Lattice System
Abstract
The influence of nonequilibrium bulk conditions on the properties of the interfaces exhibited by a kinetic Ising--like model system with nonequilibrium steady states is studied. The system is maintained out of equilibrium by perturbing the familiar spin--flip dynamics at temperature T with completely--random flips; one may interpret these as ideally simulating some (dynamic) impurities. We find evidence that, in the present case, the nonequilibrium mechanism adds to the basic thermal one resulting on a renormalization of microscopic parameters such as the probability of interfacial broken bonds. On this assumption, we develop theory for the nonequilibrium "surface tension", which happens to show a non--monotonous behavior with a maximum at some finite T. It ensues, in full agreement with Monte Carlo simulations, that interface fluctuations differ qualitatively from the equilibrium case, e.g., the interface remains rough at zero--T. We discuss on some consequences of these facts for nucleation theory, and make some explicit predictions concerning the nonequilibrium droplet structure.
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P. I. Hurtado, P. L. Garrido, J. Marro. 2004-09-20. Theoretical Characterization of the Interface in a Nonequilibrium Lattice System. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.70.245409
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