Conformal invariance and its breaking in a stochastic model of a fluctuating interface
arXiv:cond-mat/0604223 · doi:10.1088/1742-5468/2006/08/P08003
Abstract
Using Monte-Carlo simulations on large lattices, we study the effects of changing the parameter (the ratio of the adsorption and desorption rates) of the raise and peel model. This is a nonlocal stochastic model of a fluctuating interface. We show that for the system is massive, for it is massless and conformal invariant. For the conformal invariance is broken. The system is in a scale invariant but not conformal invariant phase. As far as we know it is the first example of a system which shows such a behavior. Moreover in the broken phase, the critical exponents vary continuously with the parameter . This stays true also for the critical exponent which characterizes the probability distribution function of avalanches (the critical exponent staying unchanged).
22 pages and 20 figures