Abstract
We study the time evolution of a perturbation to the edge of an otherwise straight, current-carrying, single-crystal metal line. If the applied current exceeds a critical value, the perturbation grows to become a slit-shaped void that spans the wire, and that leads to electrical failure. The slits in our simulations are remarkably similar to those observed in experiments, and in some respects resemble viscous fingers in a Hele-Shaw cell.