Fingerprints of surface flows on solid substrates ablated by phase change: from laboratory experiments to planetary landscapes
Physical or chemical phase changes in ablation, such as sublimation, melting or dissolution, are studied in physics for their many engineering applications. At solid/fluid interfaces, the interaction between a phase change and a flow can lead to pattern formation. In this case, the fluid mechanics a...
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Académie des sciences
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Comptes Rendus. Physique |
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| Online Access: | https://comptes-rendus.academie-sciences.fr/physique/articles/10.5802/crphys.230/ |
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| author | Carpy, Sabrina Berhanu, Michael Chaigne, Martin Courrech du Pont, Sylvain |
| author_facet | Carpy, Sabrina Berhanu, Michael Chaigne, Martin Courrech du Pont, Sylvain |
| author_sort | Carpy, Sabrina |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Physical or chemical phase changes in ablation, such as sublimation, melting or dissolution, are studied in physics for their many engineering applications. At solid/fluid interfaces, the interaction between a phase change and a flow can lead to pattern formation. In this case, the fluid mechanics associated with such phase changes play a key role in the evolution of terrestrial and planetary landscapes, observed by probes orbiting planets and moons. On Earth, sea ice, glaciers and karst plateaus extend over meters or kilometers. The scale of these landscapes contrasts with the scale of the physical mechanisms that govern their evolutionary dynamics. Indeed, it is the typical size of atmospheric boundary layers or meltwater/vapor/solute films that constrain the heat/concentration transfer at the phase change/dissolution interface, and hence the rate of solid ablation. In many situations, these layers are controlled by fluid flow, either natural or forced convection. In the former case, the flow may be buoyancy driven by the melting/dissolution/sublimation itself, resulting in density stratification caused by, for example, temperature/concentration gradients. This stratification may be stable or unstable. In the second case, the flow forced by winds or slopes can be considered as a flow of an infinite height or of a finite height, such as shallow water flow. In all cases, the mass flux modifies topography, which in turn affects the boundary layer flows and thus the ablation rate in a retroactive way. In nature, the positive feedback between geometry and mass transfer drives the spontaneous formation of characteristic patterns at different scales. These patterns are not just geological curiosities, such as Zen stones or dirt cones but markers of the hydrodynamic processes at work. Many landscapes are shaped by regular, repeated patterns, whether sharp-edged, scalloped, parallel-crested, or stepped. By experimentally investigating different modes of flow transport on solid substrates undergoing physical or chemical phase change, this review aims to highlight the role of the flow transport mode in the diversity of patterns observed on analogous materials. Understanding the diversity of these patterns is key to assessing the environmental conditions under which they form on planets such as Mars or Pluto, where phase changes play a very important geomorphological role. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f61fc4f4bfff42eaae6ca9300d4ea1c5 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1878-1535 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Académie des sciences |
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| series | Comptes Rendus. Physique |
| spelling | doaj-art-f61fc4f4bfff42eaae6ca9300d4ea1c52025-02-07T13:54:25ZengAcadémie des sciencesComptes Rendus. Physique1878-15352025-02-0114810.5802/crphys.23010.5802/crphys.230Fingerprints of surface flows on solid substrates ablated by phase change: from laboratory experiments to planetary landscapesCarpy, Sabrina0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2705-6974Berhanu, Michael1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9099-2135Chaigne, Martin2https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6937-9931Courrech du Pont, Sylvain3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4133-3536LPG (Laboratoire de Planétologie et Géosciences), Nantes Université, CNRS (UMR 6112), 44322 Nantes, FranceMSC (Matière et Systèmes Complexes), Université Paris Cité, CNRS (UMR 7057), 75013 Paris, FranceMSC (Matière et Systèmes Complexes), Université Paris Cité, CNRS (UMR 7057), 75013 Paris, FranceMSC (Matière et Systèmes Complexes), Université Paris Cité, CNRS (UMR 7057), 75013 Paris, FrancePhysical or chemical phase changes in ablation, such as sublimation, melting or dissolution, are studied in physics for their many engineering applications. At solid/fluid interfaces, the interaction between a phase change and a flow can lead to pattern formation. In this case, the fluid mechanics associated with such phase changes play a key role in the evolution of terrestrial and planetary landscapes, observed by probes orbiting planets and moons. On Earth, sea ice, glaciers and karst plateaus extend over meters or kilometers. The scale of these landscapes contrasts with the scale of the physical mechanisms that govern their evolutionary dynamics. Indeed, it is the typical size of atmospheric boundary layers or meltwater/vapor/solute films that constrain the heat/concentration transfer at the phase change/dissolution interface, and hence the rate of solid ablation. In many situations, these layers are controlled by fluid flow, either natural or forced convection. In the former case, the flow may be buoyancy driven by the melting/dissolution/sublimation itself, resulting in density stratification caused by, for example, temperature/concentration gradients. This stratification may be stable or unstable. In the second case, the flow forced by winds or slopes can be considered as a flow of an infinite height or of a finite height, such as shallow water flow. In all cases, the mass flux modifies topography, which in turn affects the boundary layer flows and thus the ablation rate in a retroactive way. In nature, the positive feedback between geometry and mass transfer drives the spontaneous formation of characteristic patterns at different scales. These patterns are not just geological curiosities, such as Zen stones or dirt cones but markers of the hydrodynamic processes at work. Many landscapes are shaped by regular, repeated patterns, whether sharp-edged, scalloped, parallel-crested, or stepped. By experimentally investigating different modes of flow transport on solid substrates undergoing physical or chemical phase change, this review aims to highlight the role of the flow transport mode in the diversity of patterns observed on analogous materials. Understanding the diversity of these patterns is key to assessing the environmental conditions under which they form on planets such as Mars or Pluto, where phase changes play a very important geomorphological role.https://comptes-rendus.academie-sciences.fr/physique/articles/10.5802/crphys.230/SublimationMeltingDissolutionNatural solid bedformsExperimental analoguesPattern formationClassification |
| spellingShingle | Carpy, Sabrina Berhanu, Michael Chaigne, Martin Courrech du Pont, Sylvain Fingerprints of surface flows on solid substrates ablated by phase change: from laboratory experiments to planetary landscapes Comptes Rendus. Physique Sublimation Melting Dissolution Natural solid bedforms Experimental analogues Pattern formation Classification |
| title | Fingerprints of surface flows on solid substrates ablated by phase change: from laboratory experiments to planetary landscapes |
| title_full | Fingerprints of surface flows on solid substrates ablated by phase change: from laboratory experiments to planetary landscapes |
| title_fullStr | Fingerprints of surface flows on solid substrates ablated by phase change: from laboratory experiments to planetary landscapes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fingerprints of surface flows on solid substrates ablated by phase change: from laboratory experiments to planetary landscapes |
| title_short | Fingerprints of surface flows on solid substrates ablated by phase change: from laboratory experiments to planetary landscapes |
| title_sort | fingerprints of surface flows on solid substrates ablated by phase change from laboratory experiments to planetary landscapes |
| topic | Sublimation Melting Dissolution Natural solid bedforms Experimental analogues Pattern formation Classification |
| url | https://comptes-rendus.academie-sciences.fr/physique/articles/10.5802/crphys.230/ |
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