  We study the surface critical behavior of branching-annihilating random walks
with an even number of offspring (BARW) and directed percolation (DP) using a
variety of theoretical techniques. Above the upper critical dimensions d_c,
with d_c=4 (DP) and d_c=2 (BARW), we use mean field theory to analyze the
surface phase diagrams using the standard classification into ordinary,
special, surface, and extraordinary transitions. For the case of BARW, at or
below the upper critical dimension, we use field theoretic methods to study the
effects of fluctuations. As in the bulk, the field theory suffers from
technical difficulties associated with the presence of a second critical
dimension. However, we are still able to analyze the phase diagrams for BARW in
d=1,2, which turn out to be very different from their mean field analog.
Furthermore, for the case of BARW only (and not for DP), we find two
independent surface beta_1 exponents in d=1, arising from two distinct
definitions of the order parameter. Using an exact duality transformation on a
lattice BARW model in d=1, we uncover a relationship between these two surface
beta_1 exponents at the ordinary and special transitions. Many of our
predictions are supported using Monte-Carlo simulations of two different models
belonging to the BARW universality class.
