Interfacial Structural Changes and Singularities in Non-Planar Geometries

Abstract

We consider phase coexistence and criticality in a thin-film Ising magnet with opposing surface fields and non-planar (corrugated) walls. We show that the loss of translational invariance has a strong and unexpected non-linear influence on the interface structure and phase diagram. We identify 4 non-thermodynamic singularities where there is a qualitative change in the interface shape. In addition, we establish that at the finite-size critical point, the singularity in the interface shape is characterized by two distint critical exponents in contrast to the planar case (which is characterised by one). Similar effects should be observed for prewetting at a corrugated substrate. Analogy is made with the behaviour of a non-linear forced oscillator showing chaotic dynamics.