Sublimation of ionic crystals in the presence of an electrical field

Abstract
A direct observation of the influence of an externally applied electrostatic field on the sublimation steps on (100) surfaces of KCl is reported. Typically, round‐cornered square spirals were found to be distorted into round‐cornered rhombical spirals in the presence of a field. The results are interpreted in terms of charged kinks on the surface.