Experimental investigation of the dynamics of spontaneous pattern formation during dendritic ice crystal growth

Growth of Solutal Ice Dendrites Studied by Optical Interferometry

“…Isothermal Dendrite Growth Morphology. The qualitative results of dendrite growth in sugar solutions agree with findings from previous studies of the pure ice/water system, where several stages in the growth of dendritic structures were observed in the undercooling range from 0.06 to 0.29 K. These were categorized as the growth of an initially smooth disk crystal, development of instabilities, and the final establishment of a shape-preserving steady state . The more complicated morphologies that were observed at higher undercoolings in the present system were probably a result of a temporary reduction in growth velocity of the primary dendrite during the formation of each secondary dendrite .…”

“…The qualitative results of dendrite growth in sugar solutions agree with findings from previous studies of the pure ice/water system, where several stages in the growth of dendritic structures were observed in the undercooling range from 0.06 to 0.29 K. These were categorized as the growth of an initially smooth disk crystal, development of instabilities, and the final establishment of a shape-preserving steady state. 22 The more complicated morphologies that were observed at higher undercoolings in the present system were probably a result of a temporary reduction in growth velocity of the primary dendrite during the formation of each secondary dendrite. 23 If the distance between the primary dendrite tip and the first secondary dendrite was sufficiently small, and if the tertiary dendrite grew sufficiently rapidly, the possibility exists that it could overtake the temporarily slower primary dendrite and itself become the new primary dendrite.…”

“…The order of magnitude difference between the basal and edge radii is consistent with the magnitude of the difference found in the pure ice/water system. 10,22 It should be noted that studies of the growth of pure supercooled ice have shown that the dendrites do not grow as submerged, symmetrical objects but can grow with one side that is flat. 10 Furthermore, experimental measurements of the crystal growth velocity at which pure ice disk crystals become unstable can be explained more accurately when the crystal presents one surface to the air rather than being fully submerged.…”

Pattern Formation of Ice Crystals during Free Growth in Supercooled Water

“…The growth form of an ice crystal that is freely growing in supercooled bulk water changes from a circular disk to a perturbed disk and finally to a well-developed dendrite with hexagonal symmetry. Many theoretical and experimental studies − about the ice crystal growth have been carried out in connection with the general theory of dendritic growth . However, many points remain unsolved and a full understanding of the growth forms of ice crystals has not yet been reached, probably because most past investigations have only examined the pattern formation of ice dendrites in two dimensions.…”

Spatiotemporal Control of Ice Crystallization in Supercooled Water via an Ultrashort Laser Impulse

“…To reveal the ice crystallization mechanisms, the precise measurement of ice crystal growth was performed by using a crystal seed, which was prepared in advance, for example, by transporting a seed into a crystal growth cell from a capillary. − However, it is not trivial to precisely monitor the spatiotemporal dynamics of an early stage of ice crystallization, including nucleation in bulk water, which starts stochastically and proceeds very rapidly. Indeed, experimentally investigating ice crystal nucleation using optical microscopy is considerably challenging because of the contingency of nucleation.…”