Temperature-induced crossovers in the static roughness of a one-dimensional interface

Abstract

At finite temperature and in presence of disorder, a one-dimensional elastic interface displays different scaling regimes at small and large lengthscales. Using a replica approach and a Gaussian variational method (GVM), we explore the consequences of a finite interface width $\ensuremath{\xi}$ on the small-lengthscale fluctuations. We compute analytically the static roughness $B(r)$ of the interface as a function of the distance $r$ between two points on the interface. We focus on the case of short-range elasticity and random-bond disorder. We show that for a finite width $\ensuremath{\xi}$ two temperature regimes exist. At low temperature, the expected thermal and random-manifold regimes, respectively, for small and large scales, connect via an intermediate ``modified'' Larkin regime, that we determine. This regime ends at a temperature-independent characteristic ``Larkin'' length. Above a certain characteristic temperature that we identify, this intermediate regime disappears. The thermal and random-manifold regimes connect at a single crossover lengthscale, that we compute. This is also the expected behavior for zero width. Using a directed polymer description, we also study via a second GVM procedure and generic scaling arguments, a modified toy model that provides further insights on this crossover. We discuss the relevance of the two GVM procedures for the roughness at large lengthscale in those regimes. In particular, we analyze the scaling of the temperature-dependent prefactor in the roughness $B(r)\ensuremath{\sim}{T}^{2\th{}}{r}^{2\ensuremath{\zeta}}$ and its corresponding thorn exponent $\th{}$. We briefly discuss the consequences of those results for the quasistatic creep law of a driven interface, in connection with previous experimental and numerical studies.