Crossover behavior in interface depinning

Abstract

We study the crossover scaling behavior of the height-height correlation function in interface depinning in random media. We analyze experimental data from a fracture experiment and simulate an elastic line model with non-linear couplings and disorder. Both exhibit a crossover between two different universality classes. For the experiment, we fit a functional form to the universal crossover scaling function. For the model, we vary the system size and the strength of the non-linear term, and describe the crossover between the two universality classes with a multiparameter scaling function. Our method provides a general strategy to extract scaling properties in depinning systems exhibiting crossover phenomena.