Self-Organization in Granular Slurries

We report the existence of self-organization in wet granular media or slurries, mixtures of particles of different sizes dispersed in a lower density liquid. As in the case of dry granular mixtures, axial banding (alternating bands rich in small and large particles in a long rotating cylinder) and radial segregation (in quasi-2D containers) are observed in slurries. However, when compared with the dry counterpart axial segregation is significantly faster and the spectrum of outcomes is richer. Moreover, experiments with suitable fluids reveal, for the first time, the internal structure of axially segregated systems, something that up to now has been accessible only via magnetic resonance imaging experimentation.