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Connecting the random organization transition and jamming within a unifying model system.
Lars Milz1, Michael Schmiedeberg2
1Theoretische Physik, Universität Regensburg, D-93040 Regensburg, Germany and Institut für Theoretische Physik 2: Weiche Materie, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, D-40204 Düsseldorf, Germany.
Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
|February 4, 2014
Summary
This study unifies two distinct particle dynamics transitions—random organization and athermal jamming—within a single packing model. It reveals these transitions are opposite limits of random sphere packings, suggesting a broader framework for diverse physical transitions.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Statistical Mechanics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Nonequilibrium systems exhibit transitions like random organization (reversible to irreversible dynamics).
- Athermal jamming occurs in systems where particles cannot avoid overlaps at zero shear rate.
- These transitions appear fundamentally different in their underlying mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate that random organization and athermal jamming transitions can be described by a single model packing problem.
- To explore the relationship between these two distinct dynamic transitions.
- To analyze the critical behavior associated with the random organization transition.
Main Methods:
- A unifying model system was developed where particles are randomly distributed.
- Particles are displaced in each step if overlaps occur.
- Random displacements lead to the random organization transition, while deterministic shifts result in jamming.
Main Results:
- The study successfully models both random organization and athermal jamming within the same framework.
- Random organization and jamming are identified as opposing limits of random sphere packings.
- Critical behavior for random organization was analyzed.
Conclusions:
- Random organization and jamming are not isolated phenomena but represent extreme cases of a general packing problem.
- This unifying model suggests that various equilibrium and nonequilibrium transitions can be framed as intermediate packing problems.
- The findings provide a new perspective on the universality of transitions in disordered systems.
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