Selection theory of free dendritic growth in a potential flow

The Kruskal-Segur approach to selection theory in diffusion-limited or Laplacian growth is extended via combination with the Zauderer decomposition scheme. This way nonlinear bulk equations become tractable. To demonstrate the method, we apply it to two-dimensional crystal growth in a potential flow. We omit the simplifying approximations used in a preliminary calculation for the same system [T. Fischaleck, K. Kassner, EPL 81, 54004 (2008)], thus exhibiting the capability of the method to extend mathematical rigor to more complex problems than hitherto accessible.