Dendrites with Corners

A phase-field model for diffusion-limited crystal growth is formulated that is capable of handling highly anisotropic interfaces. It uses a Willmore regularization that yields corners of finite size. An asymptotic analysis reveals that Herring’s law is recovered for the advancing surfaces. The model is validated by conducting simulations of dendritic growth for low anistorpies and comparing the results to the data from the literature. The model makes it possible to simulate high anisotropy dendrites for which the standard phase-field models are ill-posed. In this regime, the interplay between a Herring instability on the dendrite flanks and the corner regularization creates zig-zag shaped corrugations and leads to a non-monotonic trend of tip velocity as a function of anisotropy strength.