Stochastic growth equations and reparametrization invariance

This article reviews the role of reparametrization invariance (the invariance of the properties of a system with respect to the choice of the co-ordinate system used to describe it) in deriving stochastic equations that describe the growth of surfaces. By imposing reparametrization invariance on a system, the authors identify the physical origin of many of the terms in its growth equations. Both continuum-growth equations for interfaces and equations for the coarse-grained evolution of discrete-lattice models are derived with this method. A detailed analysis of the discrete-lattice case and its small-gradient expansion provides a physical basis for terms found in commonly studied growth equations. The reparametrization-invariant formulation of growth processes also has the advantage of allowing one to model shadowing effects that are lost in the no-overhang approximation and to conserve underlying symmetries of the system that are lost in a small-gradient expansion. Finally, a knowledge of the full equation of motion, beyond the lowest-order gradient expansion, may be relevant in problems where the usual perturbative renormalization methods fail. [S0034-6861(96)00104-3]