Related papers: Physical processes causing the formation of penite…
Penitentes are spikes formed on the surface of the snow, which are present typically at high altitude in the Andes and Himalayas. They are a consequence of a thermodynamic instability, as a result of the surface sublimation at a given point…
Spike-shaped structures are produced by light-driven ablation in very different contexts. Penitentes 1-4 m high are common on Andean glaciers, where their formation changes glacier dynamics and hydrology. Laser ablation can produce cones…
Penitentes and suncups are structures formed as snow melts, typically high in the mountains. When the snow is dirty, dirt cones and other structures can form instead. Building on previous field observations and experiments, this work…
We examine the molecular dynamics of crystal growth in the presence of surface melting and surface impurities, and from this propose a detailed microscopic model for the growth of ice from the vapor phase. Our model naturally accounts for…
The extent and the morphology of ice forming in a differentially heated cavity filled with water is studied by means of experiments and numerical simulations. We show that the main mechanism responsible for the ice shaping is the existence…
We describe a comprehensive model for the formation and morphological development of atmospheric ice crystals growing from water vapor, also known as snow crystals. Our model derives in part from empirical measurements of the intrinsic ice…
Sublimation of drifting snow, which is significant for the balances of mass and energy of the polar ice sheet, is a complex physical process with intercoupling between ice crystals, wind field, temperature, and moisture. Here a…
In protoplanetary disks, the water snowline marks the location where ice-rich pebbles sublimate, releasing silicate grains and water vapor. These processes can trigger pile-ups of solids, making the water snowline a promising site for…
We show that condensation is an efficient particle growth mechanism, leading to growth beyond decimeter-sized pebbles close to an ice line in protoplanetary discs. As coagulation of dust particles is frustrated by bouncing and…
The microstructure of snow determines its fundamental properties such as the mechanical strength, reflectivity, or the thermo-hydraulic properties. Snow undergoes continuous microstructural changes due to local gradients in temperature,…
Close to the triple point, the surface of ice is covered by a thin liquid layer (so-called quasi-liquid layer) which crucially impacts growth and melting rates. Experimental probes cannot observe the growth processes below this layer, and…
Ice naturally forms in the disordered or ``amorphous'' state when accreted from vapor at temperatures and pressures found in the interstellar medium and in the frigid, low density outer regions of the Sun's protoplanetary disk. It is…
Penitentes are ablative features observed in snow and ice that, on Earth, are characterized by regular cm to tens of cm spaced bowl-shaped depressions whose edges grade into tall spires up to several meters tall (Nichols et al. 1939,…
Numerous studies have focused on a low surface energy coating and a micro/nanoscale surface texture to design functional surfaces that delay frost formation and reduce ice adhesion. However, the scientific challenges for in developing…
Understanding the phases of water ice that were present in the solar nebula has implications for understanding cometary and planetary compositions as well as internal evolution of these bodies. Here we show that amorphous ice formed more…
Dendrites formation in the course of crystallization presents very general phenomenon, which is analyzed in details via the example of ice crystals growth in deionized water. Neutral molecules of water on the surface are combined into the…
Grains of ice are formed spontaneously when water vapor is injected into a weakly-ionized laboratory plasma in which the background gas has been cooled to cryogenic temperatures comparable to those of deep space. These ice grains are…
We present observations of the formation of plate-like snow crystals that provide evidence for an edge-enhancing crystal growth instability. This instability arises when the condensation coefficient describing the growth of an ice prism…
Volatile species in protoplanetary discs can undergo a phase change from vapour to solid. These "snow-lines" can play vital roles in planet formation at all scales, from dust coagulation to planetary migration. In the outer regions of…
During protoplanetary disk formation, dust grains located in the outer disk retain their pristine icy composition, while solids in the inner stellar-heated disk undergo volatile loss. This process may have left a fossil record in Solar…