SNOW CRYSTALS
Kenneth G. Libbrecht
This monograph reviews our current understanding of the physical dynamics of
ice crystal growth, focusing on the spontaneous formation of complex structures
from water vapor (called snow crystals) as a function of temperature,
supersaturation, background gas pressure, and other extrinsic parameters. Snow
crystal growth is a remarkably rich and rather poorly understood phenomenon,
requiring a synthesis of concepts from materials science, crystal-growth
theory, statistical mechanics, diffusion-limited solidification, finite-element
modeling, and molecular surface processes. Building upon recent advances in
precision measurement techniques, computation modeling methods, and molecular
dynamics simulations of crystalline surfaces, I believe we are moving rapidly
toward the long-sought goal of developing a full physical model of snow crystal
formation, using ab initio molecular dynamics simulations to create a
semi-empirical characterization of the nanoscale surface attachment kinetics,
and then incorporating that into a full computational model that reproduces the
growth of macroscopic crystalline structures. Section 1 of this monograph deals
mainly with the material properties of ice Ih in equilibrium, including
thermodynamics quantities, facet surface structures, terrace step energies, and
crystal twinning behaviors.
This 525 page monograph is HERE.
