Field theory of critical behavior in a driven diffusive system

Journal of Statistical Physics -     

Interfacial properties of a driven diffusive system

A study is made of the low-temperature interfacial properties of a driven system with a single conserved density whose bulk properties were first analyzed, using computer simulations, by Katz, Lebowitz, and Spohn in 1983. The system corresponds to a nearest neighbor interacting lattice gas of charged particles (henceconserved order parameter), which are acted upon by a uniform, constant external electric fieldE. Starting from a bulk kinetic equation, an integral equation for the interface is derived. Nonlocal coupling between different parts of the interface arises from local particle conservation. The interface at any angle is shown to be stable against small deformations ofall wavelengths that are large compared to the interfacial width. However, the relaxation rate(k) for the interface exhibits a strongorientational dependence, which can be understood in terms of the modification of nonlocality byE. The wandering of the interface is considered. Also, the possible stabilizing effect of periodic boundary conditions on the orientation toward the direction ofE is discussed.     

Field theory of critical behavior in a driven diffusive system

We use a field theoretic renormalization group method to study the critical properties of a diffusive system with a single conserved density subject to a constant uniform external field. A fixed point stable belowd _c=5 is found to govern the critical behavior. Scaling forms of density correlation functions are derived and critical exponents are obtained to all orders in =5–d. Spatial correlations are found to be very anisotropic with elongated correlations along the external field. Long wavelength transverse fluctuations are suppressed completely to yield mean field transverse exponents.