Dynamics of interfacial wetting near the roughening transition

Abstract

Theoretical and computer simulation results are presented for the effect of fluctuations on the dynamics of layer growth during complete wetting. For example, in two dimensions the authors predict a crossover in the dynamics of the layer thickness W, from Lipowsky's result, W approximately t1/4, for all non-zero temperatures in a lattice-gas system, to W approximately (ln t)1/2 at zero temperature (the roughening transition temperature) for intermediate times. Simulations of wetting in the three-state chiral Potts model give W approximately tpsi , where Psi is 0.25+or-0.03 for temperatures T>or=0.6 Tc, where Tc is the critical temperature, while the effective exponent Psi monotonically decreases with T below this temperature.