DISORDERED ONE-DIMENSIONAL CONTACT PROCESS

Theoretical and numerical analyses of the one-dimensional contact proc ess with quenched disorder are presented. We derive scaling relations which differ from their counterparts in the pure model, and that are v alid not only at the critical point but also away from it due to the p resence of generic scale invariance. All the proposed scaling laws are verified in numerical simulations. In addition, we map the disordered contact process into a non-Markovian contact process by using the so called run time statistics, and write down the associated field theory . This turns out belong to the same universality class as the one deri ved by Janssen [Phys. Rev. E 55, 6253 (1997)] for the quenched system with a Gaussian distribution of impurities. Our findings reported here in support the lack of universality suggested by the field-theoretical analysis: generic power-law behaviors are obtained. We moreover show the absence of a characteristic time away from the critical point, and the absence of universality is put forward. The intermediate sublinea r regime predicted by Bramsom, Durret, and Schnmann [Ann. Prob. 19, 96 0 (1991)] is also found.