Nonequilibrium kinetic Ising models:: Phase transitions and universality classes in one dimension

Nonequilibrium kinetic Ising models evolving under the competing effect of spin flips at zero temperature and Kawasaki-type spin-exchange kinetics at infinite temperature T are investigated here in one dimension from the point of view of phase transition and critical behaviour. Branching annihilating random walks with an even number of offspring (on the part of the ferromagnetic domain boundaries), is a decisive process in forming the steady state of the system for a range of parameters, in the family of models considered. A wide variety of quantities characterize the critical behaviour of the system. Results of computer simulations and of a generalized mean field theory are presented and discussed.