Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 23, 2026

An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids
Published on: December 4, 2017
Subharmonic instability of a self-organized granular jet
1Institute for Multiscale Simulation, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
Abstract:
Downhill flows of granular matter colliding in the lowest point of a valley, may induce a self-organized jet. By means of a quasi two-dimensional experiment where fine grained sand flows in a vertically sinusoidally agitated cylinder, we show that the emergent jet, that is, a sheet of ejecta, does not follow the frequency of agitation but reveals subharmonic response. The order of the subharmonics is a complex function of the parameters of driving.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Forced Oscillations
Free Jet
Standing Waves in a Cavity
Shock Waves
When the source's speed approaches the speed of sound, constructive interference between successive wavefronts emitted by the source occurs immediately behind it. Initially, scientists believed that this constructive interference would result in such high...
Steady, Laminar Flow Between Parallel Plates
Damped Oscillations
Although friction and other non-conservative...

