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Updated: Apr 21, 2026

Development of an Experimental Setup for the Measurement of the Coefficient of Restitution under Vacuum Conditions
Published on: March 29, 2016
Stochastic behavior of the coefficient of normal restitution
Nina Gunkelmann1, Marina Montaine1, Thorsten Pöschel1
1Institute for Multiscale Simulations, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität, Erlangen, Germany.
Abstract:
We consider the collision of a rough sphere with a plane by detailed analysis of the collision geometry. Using stochastic methods, the effective coefficient of restitution may be described as a fluctuating quantity whose probability density follows an asymmetric Laplace distribution. This result agrees with recent experiments by Montaine et al. [Phys. Rev. E 84, 041306 (2011)].
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