Optical imaging and three dimensional reconstruction of the concentration field around a crystal growing from an aqueous solution: A review

Crystal growth experiments have been conducted in the diffusion-dominated and convection-dominated regimes of the growth process. The three dimensional distribution of solutal concentration shows a strong correlation with the topography of the growing crystal. The reconstructed concentration fields reveal symmetry of the flow field away from the growing crystal. The concentration gradient fields reveal the effect of size of the growing crystal on the strength and orientation of buoyancy-induced convection currents in the growth chamber.