Interface delocalization transitions in finite systems

Abstract

Interface delocalization transitions are studied for slabs and strips of linear dimension $L$. For large $L$, the shift of the transition temperature is found to be proportional to $\frac{1}{L}$. This implies that the continuous behavior predicted for various surface quantitites in a semi-infinite geometry becomes weakly discontinuous for large but finite $L$. The consequences for new experiments and computer simulations on three- and two-dimensional systems are discussed.