Universal Gaussian behavior of driven lattice gases at short times

The dynamic and static critical behaviors of driven and equilibrium lattice gas models are studied in two spatial dimensions. We show that in the short-time regime immediately following a critical quench, the dynamics of the transverse anisotropic order parameter, its autocorrelation, and Binder cumulant are consistent with the prediction of a Gaussian, i.e., noninteracting, effective theory, both for the nonequilibrium lattice gases and, to some extent, their equilibrium counterpart. Such a superuniversal behavior is observed only at short times after a critical quench, while the various models display their distinct behaviors in the stationary states, described by the corresponding, known universality classes.