  The present work is devoted to the phenomenon of induced side branching
stemming from the disruption of free dendrite growth. Therein, we postulate
that the secondary branching instability can be triggered by the departure of
the morphology of the dendrite from its steady state shape. Thence, the
instability results from the thermodynamic trade-off between non monotonic
variations of interface temperature, surface energy, kinetic anisotropy and
interface velocity within the Gibbs Thomson equation. For purposes of
illustration, the toy model of capillary anisotropy modulation is prospected
both analytically and numerically by means of phase field simulations. It is
evidenced that side branching can befall both smooth and faceted dendrites, at
a normal angle from the front tip which is specific to the nature of the
capillary anisotropy shift applied.
