Interface Fluctuations of Growing Ice Crystals

Abstract

Light scattering experiments at the surface of a growing ice single crystal show that fluctuations at the solid liquid interface occur once a minimum growthrate has been exceeded. This quasi elastic scattering vanishes again after the surface has been brought to equilibrium conditions. Scattering intensity and line width have been measured as a function of scattering angle and angle of incidence of the laser beam on the interfacial plane. The results indicate that far from equilibrium a phase boundary layer is nucleated. Its thickness is of the order of magnitude of wavelengths of the laser light.