2020/09/13 by Xiaolu Zhu, Zheng Wang, Zhu, Xiaolu +1
Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Applied Physics (physics.app-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #Micro and Nano Robotics #Nonlinear Dynamics and Pattern Formation
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2011.01025
openalex publication_date 2020/09/13 · openalex created_date 2020/11/09 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The process of formation for an ice crystal with elaborate, symmetrical patterns from the water vapor is usually complicated and the corresponding mechanism is still not clear. Here, we experimentally constructed the 3D tubular ice crystals within a thin chamber layer filled with air in a freezer with high humidity at -27 degrees celsius. We here also propose to investigate the dynamic formation of hollow structures from the perspective of Turing's reaction-diffusion process, and a mathematical modelling of the 3D tubular structures composed of ice crystals is conducted by regarding the cooled air molecule (C-AM) as the activator and room-temperature air molecules(RT-AM) as the inhibitor. The simulation generated a hollow tube array that has similar geometric feature with the ice crystal structure of hollow columns in the experiment. This model offers a possibility to explore the Turing instability in the process of ice crystal formation.