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arXiv · 0912.2522

Identification of a Novel "Fishbone" Structure in the Dendritic Growth of Columnar Ice Crystals

Kenneth G. Libbrecht
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Abstract

Ice crystals growing in highly supersaturated air at temperatures near -5 C exhibit a distinctive, nonplanar dendritic morphology that has not been previously documented or explained. We examine this structure and identify its most prominent features in relation to the ice crystal lattice. Developing a full 3D numerical model that reproduces this robust morphology will be an interesting challenge in understanding diffusion-limited crystal growth in the presence of highly anisotropic surface attachment kinetics.

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Kenneth G. Libbrecht. 2009-12-13. Identification of a Novel "Fishbone" Structure in the Dendritic Growth of Columnar Ice Crystals. https://arxiv.org/abs/0912.2522

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