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arXiv · 0809.4863

Observations of an Impurity-driven Hysteresis Behavior in Ice Crystal Growth at Low Pressure

Kenneth G. Libbrecht
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Abstract

We describe observations of a novel hysteresis behavior in the growth of ice crystals under near-vacuum conditions. Above a threshold supersaturation, we find that the ice growth rate often exhibits a sudden increase that we attribute to an impurity-driven growth instability. We examine possible mechanisms for this instability, which can be used to produce clean, faceted ice surfaces.

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Kenneth G. Libbrecht. 2008-09-28. Observations of an Impurity-driven Hysteresis Behavior in Ice Crystal Growth at Low Pressure. https://arxiv.org/abs/0809.4863

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