In this note, we discuss the quantum version of the melting crystal corner in
one, two, and three dimensions, generalizing the treatment for the quantum
dimer model. Using a mapping to spin chains we find that the two--dimensional
case (growth of random partitions) is integrable and leads directly to the
Hamiltonian of the Heisenberg XXZ ferromagnet. The three--dimensional case of
the melting crystal corner is described in terms of a system of coupled XXZ
spin chains. We give a conjecture for its mass gap and analyze the system
numerically.Comment: 34 pages, 26 picture