Dislocation patterning was investigated by balancing energy and entropy through a noise factor. The following sequence was predicted for low-density situations: homogeneous distribution at low noise levels, regular cell formation at intermediate noise levels, and irregular cell formation at high noise levels. In high-density situations, an homogeneous distribution did not occur.

Dislocation Patterning—a Statistical Mechanics Perspective. A.H.W.Ngan: Scripta Materialia, 2005, 52[10], 1005-10