Any renewal processes on
({mathbb {N}}_0) with a polynomial tail, with exponent
(alpha in (0,1)), has a non-trivial scaling limit, known as the
(alpha )-
stable regenerative set. In this paper we consider Gibbs transformations of such renewal processes in an i.i.d. random environment, called disordered pinning models. We show that for
(alpha in left( frac{1}{2}, 1right) ) these models have a universal scaling limit, which we call the
continuum disordered pinning model (CDPM). This is a random closed subset of
({mathbb {R}}) in a white noise random environment, with subtle features:
- Any fixed a.s. property of the (alpha )-stable regenerative set (e.g., its Hausdorff dimension) is also an a.s. property of the CDPM, for almost every realization of the environment.
- Nonetheless, the law of the CDPM is singular with respect to the law of the (alpha )-stable regenerative set, for almost every realization of the environment.
The existence of a disordered continuum model, such as the CDPM, is a manifestation of
disorder relevance for pinning models with
(alpha in left( frac{1}{2}, 1right) ).
