On the Formation of Thin Ice Crystal Plates: A New Type of Morphological Instability in Diffusion-Limited Growth

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We propose a new type of morphological instability in the diffusion-limited growth of faceted crystals from the vapor phase that can explain the formation of thin ice plates at temperatures near -15 C. The instability appears when the attachment kinetics for facet growth depends strongly on the morphology of the facet surface. In particular, we propose that the condensation coefficient for growth of ice prism facets increases dramatically when the width of the facet approaches atomic dimensions. This model reconciles several conflicting measurements of ice crystal growth, and makes additional predictions for future growth experiments. Other faceted crystalline materials may exhibit similar morphological instabilities that promote the diffusion-limited growth of thin plate-like or needle-like crystal structures.