# First order phase transition in a 1+1-dimensional nonequilibrium wetting process

## A Definition of the model:

The model is defined in terms of growth of a one-dimensional interface on a lattice of $`N`$ sites with associated height variables $`h_i=0,1,\mathrm{},\mathrm{}`$ and periodic boundary conditions. We consider a restricted solid-on-solid (RSOS) growth process, where the height differences between neighboring sites can take only values $`0,\pm 1`$. In addition, a hard-core wall at zero height is introduced. The model depends on three parameters $`q,q_0`$, and $`p`$. It evolves by random sequential updates, i.e., in each update attempt a site $`i`$ is randomly selected and one of the following processes is carried out:   

– adsorption of an adatom with probability $`q_0\mathrm{\Delta }t`$ at the   
bottom layer $`h_i=0`$ and probability $`q\mathrm{\Delta }t`$ at higher   
layers $`h_i>0`$:

$$h_ih_i+1,$$
(1)   
– desorption of an adatom from the edge of a terrace   
with probability $`1\mathrm{\Delta }t`$:

$$h_i\mathrm{min}(h_{i1},h_i,h_{i+1}),$$
(2)   
– desorption of an adatom from the interior of a terrace   
with probability $`p\mathrm{\Delta }t`$:

$$h_ih_i1\text{if}h_{i1}=h_i=h_{i+1}>0.$$
(3)   
A process is carried out only if the resulting interface height $`h_i`$ is non-negative and does not violate the RSOS constraint $`|h_ih_{i\pm 1}|1`$. The time increment per sweep (N attempted updates) is $`\mathrm{\Delta }t1/\mathrm{max}(1,q_0,q+p)`$.

The phase diagram for the case $`q_0=q`$ has been studied in , where a continuous wetting transition was found. Clearly, the moving state is not affected by $`q_0`$ and thus the transition line above which it is stable remains unchanged. However, the stability of the pinned state strongly depends on $`q_0`$, modifying the phase diagram and the nature of the wetting transition. In order to gain some insight into the mechanism leading to first-order transition, we first consider the $`p=1`$ case. Here detailed balance is obeyed , wherefore the transition can be described in the framework of equilibrium statistical mechanics . We then consider the case $`p1`$ numerically.

## B The case $`p=1`$:

For $`p=1`$ and $`q1`$ the dynamic rules satisfy detailed balance and the probability of finding the interface in a configuration $`\{h_1,\mathrm{},h_N\}`$ can be expressed in terms of a potential $`V(h)`$ by

$$P(h_1,\mathrm{},h_N)=Z_N^1\mathrm{exp}\left[\underset{i=1}{\overset{N}{}}V(h_i)\right],$$
(4)   
where the partition sum $`Z_N=_{h_1,\mathrm{},h_N}e^{_iV(h_i)}`$ runs over all interface configurations obeying the RSOS constraint. The potential is given by

$$V(h)=\{\begin{array}{cc}\mathrm{}\hfill & \text{if }h<0,\hfill \\ \mathrm{ln}(q/q_0)\hfill & \text{if }h=0,\hfill \\ h\mathrm{ln}(q)\hfill & \text{if }h>0.\hfill \end{array}$$
(5)   
As shown in the inset of Fig. 1, the attractive interaction between substrate and bottom layer is incorporated as a potential well at zero height. For $`q<1`$ the slope of the potential is positive so that the interface is always pinned to the wall. For $`q>1`$, where the slope is negative, the interface can ‘tunnel’ through the potential barrier and eventually detaches from the substrate. It should be noted that in this case, the equilibrium distribution (4) is no longer valid, i.e., the system enters a non-stationary nonequilibrium phase.

The nature of the transition depends on the depth of the potential well. For $`q_0<\frac{2}{3}`$, the potential well is deep enough to bind the interface to the wall at the transition point $`q_c=1`$, giving rise to a localized equilibrium distribution with a discontinuous transition. For $`q_0>\frac{2}{3}`$, no localized solution exists at $`q=1`$ and the transition becomes continuous. The two transition lines are separated by a tricritical point at $`q_0^{}=\frac{2}{3},q_c=1`$.

In order to prove the existence of the first-order line, we apply a transfer matrix formalism . Defining a transfer matrix $`T`$ acting in spatial direction by

$$T_{h,l}=\{\begin{array}{cc}q/q_0\hfill & \text{if }|hl|1\text{ and }l=0,\hfill \\ q^l\hfill & \text{if }|hl|1\text{ and }l>0,\hfill \\ 0\hfill & \text{otherwise},\hfill \end{array}$$
(6)   
we compute the eigenvector $`\varphi `$ of $`T`$ corresponding to the largest eigenvalue $`\mu `$, which determines the steady-state properties of the system. For $`q=1`$ the solution reads

$$\mu =(z+1)/q_0,\varphi _0=q_0,\varphi _h=z^h,$$
(7)   
where $`h1`$ and

$$z=\frac{\sqrt{1+2q_03q_0^2}}{2(1q_0)}\frac{1}{2}.$$
(8)   
The stationary density of exposed sites at the bottom layer is given by $`n_0=\varphi _0^2/_{h=0}^{\mathrm{}}\varphi _h^2`$. It is nonzero for $`q_0<\frac{2}{3}`$ and vanishes linearly at the tricritical point. This proves the existence of the first-order phase transition line in Fig. 1.

In Ref.  the density $`n_0`$ and the interface width $`w=(hh)^2^{1/2}`$ at $`q_0=q`$ were found to scale as

$$n_0(q_cq)^{x_0},w(q_cq)^\gamma ,$$
(9)   
with the critical exponents $`x_0=1`$ and $`\gamma =\frac{1}{3}`$. Using the transfer matrix approach, we can prove that these bulk exponents remain valid along the entire second order phase transition line, except for the tricritical point where $`x_0=\gamma =\frac{1}{3}`$. Moreover, approaching the tricritical point from the left along the first order transition line, it can be shown that the two quantities scale as

$$n_0(q_0^{}q_0)^{x_0^{}},w(q_0^{}q_0)^\gamma ^{},$$
(10)   
where $`x_0^{}=\gamma ^{}=1`$.

## C The case $`p1`$:

In this case the dynamic rules do not satisfy detailed balance and the model cannot be solved using the previous methods. Performing Monte-Carlo simulations we determined the phase diagrams for various values of $`p`$. For $`p<1`$ we find that the moving and the pinned phases coexist in a whole region of the parameter space rather than just on a line, as is the case for equilibrium first order transitions. As shown in Fig. 2, the coexistence regime for $`p=0.2`$ ends at the tricritical point $`q_0^{}=0.515(10),q_c=0.6868(2)`$, where the second-order phase transition line starts. Unlike metastable states, the pinned phase is thermodynamically stable inside the coexistence regime, i.e., its life time $`\tau `$ grows exponentially with the system size, as shown in the inset of Fig. 2.

For $`p>1`$, however, there is no region of phase coexistence and the phase diagram is similar to that of Fig. 1. For instance, for $`p=2`$ the first-order phase transition line ends at the tricritical point $`q_0^{}=0.73(1)`$, $`q_c=1.2326(3)`$. For $`p1`$, we expect that Eqs. (9)-(10) still describe the scaling behavior at the tricritical point, although with different sets of critical exponents.

In order to understand the mechanism leading to phase coexistence for $`p<1`$, let us consider the evolution of a large droplet (an interval where the interface is detached from the bottom layer) in the vicinity of the upper terminal point of the coexistence regime $`q=1,q_0=0`$. Because of the RSOS constraint, the growing droplet eventually reaches an almost triangular shape with unit slope at the edges. The interface of the triangular droplet fluctuates predominantly by diffusion of pairs of sites with equal height. Inspecting the dynamic rules, it is easy to verify that these ‘landings’ of the staircase move upwards with rate $`q`$ and downwards with rate $`1`$. Hence, for $`q>1,q_0=0`$ the droplet is stable with a life-time exponential in its lateral size. For $`q>1`$ and $`q_0>0`$, fluctuations of the bottom layer are biased to move upwards at the edges of the droplet. Thus the droplet grows and the interface eventually detaches from the bottom layer. On the other hand, if $`q_0=0`$ and $`q_c<q<1`$, fluctuations at the top of the triangular droplet are biased to diffuse downwards to the edges. Therefore, the droplet shrinks at constant velocity in a time proportional to its size, ensuring the stability of the pinned phase.

As shown in Fig. 3, this robust mechanism for the elimination of droplets also works for positive values of $`q_0`$. If the interface detaches from the substrate over some distance due to fluctuations, the resulting droplet grows and reaches an almost triangular shape. In the coexistence regime, the droplets are biased to shrink in a time proportional to its size, resulting in a stable pinned phase. However, spontaneously created small islands next to the bottom layer contribute to the broadening of the droplets, reducing the range of phase coexistence. This explains why the upper boundary of the coexistence regime decreases as $`q_0`$ is increased. At the upper boundary the stationary density of exposed sites at the bottom layer $`n_0`$ is found to change discontinuously.

The transition line above which the unbound phase is stable is independent of the growth rate $`q_0`$. This line is the lower curve in Fig. 4, which is common to all four diagrams. For $`q_0`$ smaller than some threshold $`\overline{q}_0`$, the pinned and the unbound phases coexist in a certain region of the phase diagram. As can be seen in the Figure, this region is bounded by two lines which intersect to the right at the equilibrium transition point $`p=q=1`$. For $`q_0<q_{c,0}0.399`$, this is the only intersection point of the two lines and the phase coexistence region extends down to $`p=0`$. On the other hand, for $`q_0>q_{c,0}`$ the two lines also intersect on the left at another tricritical point, reducing the size of the region of phase coexistence. This region disappears at $`q_0=\overline{q}_0`$. On the basis of our numerical simulations, it is not possible to conclude whether $`\overline{q}_0`$ is equal or strictly smaller than $`2/3`$.

## D Discussion:

Within a more general framework, the coexistence of the moving and the pinned phase may be viewed as follows. The evolution of the interface may be described in terms of the KPZ equation

$$_th=D^2h+\lambda (h)^2+\zeta (x,t)+V^{}(h)+v_0$$
(11)   
with positive heights $`h(x,t)>0`$, where the velocity $`v_0`$ plays the role of $`qq_c`$. Clearly, for $`\lambda =0`$ the transition takes place at $`v_0=0`$. For $`\lambda >0`$, the nonlinear term of Eq. (11) may be interpreted as an additional force acting on tilted parts of the interface in the direction of growth. This force supports the growth of droplets wherefore the interface detaches for any $`v_0>0`$. However, if $`\lambda <0`$ this force acts against the direction of growth. Consequently, a sufficiently tilted interface does not propagate and may even move downwards. For $`v_0>0`$ this leads to the formation of fluctuating droplets with a triangular shape and a finite slope at the edges. If the short-range force at the bottom layer is strong enough, such droplets, once formed, will shrink at constant velocity. Thus, the moving and the pinned phase can only coexist in those parts of the phase diagram where $`\lambda `$ is negative. In fact, as shown in , $`\lambda `$ is negative along the transition line for $`p<1`$ and changes sign at $`p=1`$.

The phenomenon of phase coexistence was first observed in Toom’s two-dimensional north-east-center voting model . It was also shown that open boundaries in certain one-dimensional diffusive models may exhibit similar phenomena . The model discussed in this work demonstrates that phase coexistence can also emerge in homogeneous one-dimensional driven systems.

We would like to thank M.R. Evans for valuable discussions. The support of the Israel Science Foundation, the Israel Ministry of Science, and the Inter-University High Performance Computation Center is gratefully acknowledged. H.H. would like to thank the Weizmann Institute for hospitality where parts of this work have been done.