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 nonlinear 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 nonlinear 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.