1302.1231 (Kenneth G. Libbrecht)

Toward a Comprehensive Model of Snow Crystal Growth Dynamics: 2.
Structure Dependent Attachment Kinetics near -5 C    [PDF]

Kenneth G. Libbrecht

We present experimental data demonstrating the presence of structure-dependent attachment kinetics (SDAK) in ice crystal growth from water vapor near -5 C. Specifically, we find that the nucleation barrier on the basal edge of a thin-walled hollow columnar crystal is approximately ten times smaller than the corresponding nucleation barrier on a large basal facet. These observations support the hypothesis that SDAK effects play an important role in determining the growth morphologies of atmospheric ice crystals as a function of temperature.

View original: http://arxiv.org/abs/1302.1231