title: First-order depinning transition of a driven interface in disordered media.
abstract: We introduce a simple growth model which exhibits a first-order pinning-depinning (PD) transition in disordered media. In our model, a first-order PD transition is triggered by the local inertia force F(l)=pLv macro where p denotes a constant between 0 and 1, L is the system size, and v macro is the average velocity in a local region of the growing interface. If p<p(c), our model shows a continuous PD transition. However, if p>p(c), our model shows a first-order PD transition. We measure the critical exponents characterizing the dynamical behavior of our model and explain how a first-order PD transition can occur if p>p(c). Besides the PD transitions, our model exhibits another phase transition from a fluctuating to a nonfluctuating interface with a constant velocity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Korea University, Seoul, 136-701, Korea.
authors.forename: Kwangho
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Sungbok
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kwak
authors.forename: In-mook
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Kim Im