Diffusion-limited surface deposition in the limit of large anisotropy

Abstract

Diffusion-limited surface deposition has been studied in the limit of high anisotropy using two-dimensional computer simulations. In this model the diffusion of particles is isotropic but growth is allowed to occur only in the direction away from the surface. This model results in the formation of an irregular distribution of needles perpendicular to the surface. The mean density profile and the distribution of needle lengths can be described, to a good approximation, by a power law with exponential cutoffs. The structures produced in these simulations resemble those observed in some systems undergoing unstable dendritic growth.