Figure 4. Evolution of order parameter 
and the exponential growth in switching time as a function of distance from the second-order critical point.
(a) Switches in the value of 
as a function of time 
for a sample evolution (with initial transient removed) of the system when 
(
). This reflects the system repeatedly switching between the 
-dominant steady-state (
) and the 
-dominant steady-state (
). (b) Sample evolution of the system (with initial transient removed) for 
(
). The system fluctuates randomly about the only existing steady-state in which densities of 
and 
nodes are equal. (c) The dependence of 
in the exponential scaling 
when 
(
) as a function of 
, obtained using the eikonal approximation (see SI: Section 4).