2 Early experiments on artificial snow crystals in cold chamber led by Nakaya, 3 revealed this fundamental phase transition resulted in a wide manifold of patterns, exclusively determined by supersaturation and temperature. 1 Beyond aesthetic fascination for their symmetric shape, snow crystals provide a unique example of self-patterning systems. Snowflake growth in supersaturated atmosphere is one of the most familiar, and at the same time scientifically challenging physical phenomena. We find that the growth dynamics of snow crystals matches the selection theory, consistently with previous experimental observations. We demonstrate that this model reproduces the growth dynamics of the most challenging morphologies of snowflakes from the Nakaya diagram. Here, we report a modified phase field model that describes the subtlety of the ice vapour phase transition, through anisotropic water molecules attachment and condensation, surface diffusion, and strong anisotropic surface tension, that guarantee the anisotropy, faceting and dendritic growth of snowflakes.

Yet, very few models currently succeed in reproducing the diversity of snowflake forms in three dimensions, and the link between model parameters and thermodynamic quantities is not established. Attempts to understand this phenomenon have led to important insights in non-equilibrium dynamics observed in various active scientific fields, ranging from pattern formation in physical and chemical systems, to self-assembly problems in biology.

Snowflake growth provides a fascinating example of spontaneous pattern formation in nature.

3d snowflake slot