Strong Dynamical Heterogeneity and Universal Scaling in Driven Granular Fluids

Karina E. Avila, Horacio E. Castillo, Andrea Fiege, Katharina Vollmayr-Lee, and Annette Zippelius
Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 025701 – Published 10 July 2014

Abstract

Large-scale simulations of two-dimensional bidisperse granular fluids allow us to determine spatial correlations of slow particles via the four-point structure factor S4(q,t). Both cases, elastic (ϵ=1) and inelastic (ϵ<1) collisions, are studied. As the fluid approaches structural arrest, i.e., for packing fractions in the range 0.6ϕ0.805, scaling is shown to hold: S4(q,t)/χ4(t)=s(qξ(t)). Both the dynamic susceptibility χ4(τα) and the dynamic correlation length ξ(τα) evaluated at the α relaxation time τα can be fitted to a power law divergence at a critical packing fraction. The measured ξ(τα) widely exceeds the largest one previously observed for three-dimensional (3d) hard sphere fluids. The number of particles in a slow cluster and the correlation length are related by a robust power law, χ4(τα)ξdp(τα), with an exponent dp1.6. This scaling is remarkably independent of ϵ, even though the strength of the dynamical heterogeneity at constant volume fraction depends strongly on ϵ.

  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Received 18 December 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.113.025701

© 2014 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Karina E. Avila1,2,*, Horacio E. Castillo1, Andrea Fiege3, Katharina Vollmayr-Lee4, and Annette Zippelius3,2

  • 1Department of Physics and Astronomy and Nanoscale and Quantum Phenomena Institute, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 45701, USA
  • 2Max-Planck-Institut für Dynamik und Selbstorganisation, Am Fassberg 17, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
  • 3Institut für Theoretische Physik, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
  • 4Department of Physics and Astronomy, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania 17837, USA

  • *karina.avila@theorie.physik.uni-goettingen.de

Article Text (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

References (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 113, Iss. 2 — 11 July 2014

Reuse & Permissions
Access Options
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review Letters

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×