Karma, Littles Co-Author June Article in Review of Scientific Instruments

BPS-funded PI Alain Karma and MSFC Project Scientist Louise Littles co-author a recent article published in Review of Scientific Instruments on 06/30/2023.

Spatiotemporal Evolution of Three-Dimensional Dendritic Array Structures (SPADES) principle investigator (PI) Alain Karma/Northeastern University and project scientist Louise Littles co-authored a publication in Review of Scientific Instruments, which was made available online on June 30, 2023. This effort was supported by the French Space Agency CNES (Microstructures de Solidification 3D—MISOL3D—project) and NASA Grant No. 80NSSC22K0664 (SPADES).

This paper describes the experimental framework of the Directional Solidification Insert, installed onboard the International Space Station, dedicated to the in situ and real-time characterization of the dynamic selection of the solid–liquid interface morphology in bulk samples of transparent materials under diffusive growth conditions. The in situ observation of the solid–liquid interface is an invaluable tool for gaining knowledge on the time evolution of the interface pattern because the initial morphological instability evolves nonlinearly and undergoes a reorganization process.

The result of each experiment, characterized by the sample concentration, a thermal gradient, and a pulling rate, is a large number of images. The interpretation of these images necessitates a robust identification of each cell/dendrite’s position and size during the entire solidification. Several image analysis methods have been developed to reliably achieve this goal despite varying contrast and noise levels and are described in detail. Typical solidification experiments are presented, and the dynamics of the pattern formation are analyzed to illustrate the application of the image analysis methods.

The paper is a useful companion to the recently published scientific articles in Nature Communications and Acta Materialia, providing more detailed insight into sample preparation, data and image acquisition and post-flight image analysis techniques.

F. L. Mota, M. Medjkoune, L. Strutzenberg Littles, A. Karma, N. Bergeon; Solidification furnace for in situ observation of bulk transparent systems and image analysis methods. Rev Sci Instrum 1 June 2023; 94 (6): 065111.