Abstract
Two growth mechanisms of considerable recent interest are related to a single statistical mechanical model. Tip splitting without interfacial tension occurs when a fluid pushes into another miscible fluid of higher viscosity. Dendritic growth occurs when anisotropic molecules aggregate—a common example is the snowflake. We find that both structures are fractal objects, and can be obtained from a single statistical mechanical model, implying that there is a relation between the underlying physical processes involved.
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Nittmann, J., Stanley, H. Tip splitting without interfacial tension and dendritic growth patterns arising from molecular anisotropy. Nature 321, 663–668 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/321663a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/321663a0
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