  Spike-shaped structures are produced by light-driven ablation in very
different contexts. Penitentes 1-4 m high are common on Andean glaciers, where
their formation changes glacier dynamics and hydrology. Laser ablation can
produce cones 10-100 microns high with a variety of proposed applications in
materials science. We report the first laboratory generation of
centimeter-scale snow and ice penitentes. Systematically varying conditions
allows identification of the essential parameters controlling the formation of
ablation structures. We demonstrate that penitente initiation and coarsening
requires cold temperatures, so that ablation leads to sublimation rather than
melting. Once penitentes have formed, further growth of height can occur by
melting. The penitentes intially appear as small structures (3 mm high) and
grow by coarsening to 1-5 cm high. Our results are an important step towards
understanding and controlling ablation morphologies.
