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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
Published on: December 4, 2017
Two-dimensional melting far from equilibrium in a granular monolayer
1Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA. jolafsen@ku.edu
Abstract:
We report an experimental investigation of the transition from a hexagonally ordered solid phase to a disordered liquid in a monolayer of vibrated spheres. The transition occurs as the intensity of the vibration amplitude is increased. Measurements of the density of dislocations and the positional and orientational correlation functions show evidence for a dislocation-mediated continuous transition from a solid phase with long-range order to a liquid with only short-range order. The results show a strong similarity to simulations of melting of hard disks in equilibrium, despite the fact that the granular monolayer is far from equilibrium due to the effects of interparticle dissipation and the vibrational forcing.
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