## The Annals of Probability

### A growth model in a random environment

#### Abstract

We consider a model of interface growth in two dimensions, given by a height function on the sites of the one-dimensional integer lattice. According to the discrete time update rule, the height above the site x increases to the height above $x-1$, if the latter height is larger; otherwise the height above x increases by 1 with probability $p_x$. We assume that $p_x$ are chosen independently at random with a common distribution F and that the initial state is such that the origin is far above the other sites. We explicitly identify the asymptotic shape and prove that, in the pure regime, the fluctuations about that shape, normalized by the square root of time, are asymptotically normal. This contrasts with the quenched version: conditioned on the environment, and normalized by the cube root of time, the fluctuations almost surely approach a distribution known from random matrix theory.

#### Article information

Source
Ann. Probab., Volume 30, Number 3 (2002), 1340-1368.

Dates
First available in Project Euclid: 20 August 2002

https://projecteuclid.org/euclid.aop/1029867130

Digital Object Identifier
doi:10.1214/aop/1029867130

Mathematical Reviews number (MathSciNet)
MR1920110

Zentralblatt MATH identifier
1021.60083

#### Citation

Gravner, Janko; Tracy, Craig A.; Widom, Harold. A growth model in a random environment. Ann. Probab. 30 (2002), no. 3, 1340--1368. doi:10.1214/aop/1029867130. https://projecteuclid.org/euclid.aop/1029867130

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• DAVIS, CALIFORNIA 95616 E-MAIL: gravner@math.ucdavis.edu C. A. TRACY DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS INSTITUTE OF THEORETICAL Dy NAMICS UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
• DAVIS, CALIFORNIA 95616 E-MAIL: tracy@itd.ucdavis.edu H. WIDOM DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
• SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA 95064 E-MAIL: widom@math.ucsc.edu