Universal and nonuniversal features in the crossover from linear to nonlinear interface growth

Abstract

We study a restricted solid-on-solid (RSOS) model involving deposition and evaporation with probabilities p and 1-p, respectively, in one-dimensional substrates. It presents a crossover from Edwards-Wilkinson (EW) to Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) scaling for p~0.5. The associated KPZ equation is analytically derived, exhibiting a coefficient lambda of the nonlinear term proportional to q=p-1/2, which is confirmed numerically by calculation of tilt-dependent growth velocities for several values of p. This linear \lambda-q relation contrasts to the apparently universal parabolic law obtained in competitive models mixing EW and KPZ components. The regions where the interface roughness shows pure EW and KPZ scaling are identified for 0.55<=p<=0.8, which provides numerical estimates of the crossover times t_c. They scale as t_c ~ lambda^(-phi) with phi=4.1+-0.1, which is in excellent agreement with the theoretically predicted universal value phi=4 and improves previous numerical estimates, which suggested phi~3.