title: Physical processes causing the formation of penitentes.
abstract: Snow penitentes form in sublimation conditions by differential ablation. Here we investigate the physical processes at the initial stage of penitente growth and perform the linear stability analysis of a flat surface submitted to the solar heat flux. We show that these patterns do not simply result from the self-illumination of the surface-a scale-free process-but are primarily controlled by vapor diffusion and heat conduction. The wavelength at which snow penitentes emerge is derived and discussed. We found that it is controlled by aerodynamic mixing of vapor above the ice surface.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physique et Mécanique des Milieux Hétérogènes, PMMH UMR 7636 ESPCI, CNRS, University Paris Diderot, University Pierre et Marie Curie, 10 rue Vauquelin, 75005, Paris, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Claudin
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physique et Mécanique des Milieux Hétérogènes, PMMH UMR 7636 ESPCI, CNRS, University Paris Diderot, University Pierre et Marie Curie, 10 rue Vauquelin, 75005, Paris, France.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jarry
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des Composites ThermoStructuraux, LCTS UMR 5801 CNRS, UB1, CEA-Safran, 3 allée La Boetie, 33600 Pessac, France.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vignoles
authors.affiliation: Condensed Matter Physics, Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS, 91128 Palaiseau, France.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Plapp
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physique et Mécanique des Milieux Hétérogènes, PMMH UMR 7636 ESPCI, CNRS, University Paris Diderot, University Pierre et Marie Curie, 10 rue Vauquelin, 75005, Paris, France.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Andreotti