Reaction-limited sintering in nearly saturated environments

We study the shape and growth rate of necks between sintered spheres with dissolution–precipitation dynamics in the reaction-limited regime. We determine the critical shape that separates those initial neck shapes that can sinter from those that necessarily dissolve, as well as the asymptotic evolving shape of sinters far from the critical shape. We compare our results with past results for the asymptotic neck shape in closely related but more complicated models of surface dynamics; in particular, we confirm a scaling conjecture, originally due to Kuczinsky. Finally, we consider the relevance of this problem to the diagenesis of sedimentary rocks and other applications.