Surface criticality at a dynamic phase transition

TL;DR

This paper investigates how surfaces influence nonequilibrium phase transitions in kinetic Ising models under oscillating magnetic fields, revealing distinct surface critical behavior from equilibrium systems.

Contribution

It demonstrates that nonequilibrium surface exponents differ from equilibrium ones and uncovers a markedly different surface phase diagram in three dimensions.

Findings

Nonequilibrium surface exponents differ from equilibrium exponents.

Surface phase diagram in 3D differs from equilibrium.

Bulk transition remains continuous with equilibrium exponents.

Abstract

In order to elucidate the role of surfaces at nonequilibrium phase transitions we consider kinetic Ising models with surfaces subjected to a periodic oscillating magnetic field. Whereas the corresponding bulk system undergoes a continuous nonequilibrium phase transition characterized by the exponents of the equilibrium Ising model, we find that the nonequilibrium surface exponents do not coincide with those of the equilibrium critical surface. In addition, in three space dimensions the surface phase diagram of the nonequilibrium system differs markedly from that of the equilibrium system.