A pr 1 99 9 Functional Renormalization Description of the Roughening Transition

We reconsider the problem of the static thermal roughening of an elastic manifold at the critical dimension d = 2 in a periodic potential, using a perturbative Functional Renormalization Group approach. Our aim is to describe the effective potential seen by the manifold below the roughening temperature on large length scales. We obtain analytically a flow equation for the potential and surface tension of the manifold, valid at all temperatures. On a length scale L, the renormalized potential is made up of a succession of quasi parabolic wells, matching onto one another in a singular region of width ∼ L−6/5 for large L. We also obtain numerically the step energy as a function of temperature, and relate our results to the existing experimental data on 4He. Finally, we sketch the scenario expected for an arbitrary dimension d < 2 and examine the case of a non local elasticity which is realized physically for the contact line. LPTENS preprint 99/XX Electronic addresses : [email protected] ; [email protected]