Self-organized pinning and interface growth in a random medium

A new class of interface growth models is proposed, where global equilibration of the driving force is achieved between each local deposition. Two such models are studied numerically, and it is seen that roughness can occur with higher exponents than in situations where global equilibration of the driving force is not established. In particular, we have found a new universality class of growth models which in one dimension gives self-affine interfaces with roughness exponent χ=0.63±0.02.