Critical wetting of a class of nonequilibrium interfaces: A computer simulation study

Abstract

Critical wetting transitions under nonequilibrium conditions are studied numerically and analytically by means of an interface-displacement model defined by a Kardar-Parisi-Zhang equation, plus some extra terms representing a limiting, short-ranged attractive wall. Its critical behavior is characterized in detail by providing a set of exponents for both the average height and the surface order-parameter in one dimension. The emerging picture is qualitatively and quantitatively different from recently reported mean-field predictions for the same problem. Evidence is shown that the presence of the attractive wall induces an anomalous scaling of the interface local slopes.