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Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann-type diffusive slowdown in weakly perturbed granular media.
1Institut de Génie Atomique, Département de Physique, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
Physical Review Letters
|December 12, 2001
Summary
Researchers studied how granular materials reach a static state by reducing vibrations. The system
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Materials Science
- Complex Systems
Background:
- Granular materials exhibit complex behaviors under perturbation.
- Understanding the transition to static configurations is crucial for various applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the dynamics of granular media transitioning to a frozen state.
- To characterize the approach to a static configuration by controlling perturbation intensity.
Main Methods:
- Perturbing a granular medium of millimetric particles using isolated taps or continuous vibrations.
- Monitoring the system's dynamics with an immersed low-frequency oscillator.
- Analyzing the approach to the frozen state using a modified Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann (VFT) model.
Main Results:
- Diffusive noise was observed below the fluidization limit.
- The approach to the frozen configuration followed a modified Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann (VFT) behavior.
- A standard VFT form was recovered using an empirical time-based control parameter.
Conclusions:
- The study provides insights into the jamming and relaxation dynamics of granular systems.
- The VFT model effectively describes the approach to a static state in perturbed granular media.
- This research contributes to the fundamental understanding of non-equilibrium systems.