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arXiv · 1112.0090

Laser-driven accelerated growth of dendritic patterns

H. Basu·K. M. Kolwankar·A. K. Dharmadhikari·J. A. Dharmadhikari·K. Bambardekar·S. Sharma·D. Mathur
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Abstract

We report a scheme for very significantly accelerating growth of dendritic patterns in diverse liquids, making use of only a few hundred microwatts of laser power in the presence of an efficient absorber like carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The CNTs act as a heat source that drives dendritic growth; their anisotropy ensures a rich diversity of branched patterns. We rationalize the unprecedented speed of dendritic growth using a diffusion equation for the temperature field with an additional source term. Close to the heat source, the well-established microscopic solvability theory is seen to break down. Our method opens new vistas for experimental and theoretical studies of pattern formation in liquids.

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H. Basu, K. M. Kolwankar, A. K. Dharmadhikari, J. A. Dharmadhikari, K. Bambardekar, S. Sharma, D. Mathur. 2011-12-01. Laser-driven accelerated growth of dendritic patterns. https://arxiv.org/abs/1112.0090

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