Scaling in the crossover from random to correlated growth

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In systems where deposition rates are high compared to diffusion, desorption and other mechanisms that generate correlations, a crossover from random to correlated growth of surface roughness is expected at a characteristic time t₀. This crossover is analyzed in lattice models via scaling arguments, with support from simulation results presented here and in other authors works. We argue that the amplitudes of the saturation roughness and of the saturation time scale as t₀¹/² and t₀, respectively. For models with lateral aggregation, which typically are in the Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) class, we show that t₀ 1/p, where p is the probability of the correlated aggregation mechanism to take place. However, t₀ 1/p² is obtained in solid-on-solid models with single particle deposition attempts. This group includes models in various universality classes, with numerical examples being provided in the Edwards-Wilkinson (EW), KPZ and Villain-Lai-Das Sarma (nonlinear molecular-beam epitaxy) classes. Most applications are for two-component models in which random deposition, with probability 1-p, competes with a correlated aggregation process with probability p. However, our approach can be extended to other systems with the same crossover, such as the generalized restricted solid-on-solid model with maximum height difference S, for large S. Moreover, the scaling approach applies to all dimensions. In the particular case of one-dimensional KPZ processes with this crossover, we show that t₀ nu⁻¹ and nu lambda²/³, where nu and lambda are the coefficients of the linear and nonlinear terms of the associated KPZ equations. The applicability of previous results on models in the EW and KPZ classes is discussed.