Reduced Thermodynamic Description of Phase Separation in a Quasi-One-Dimensional Granular Gas

James P. D. Clewett, R. M. Bowley, and Michael R. Swift
Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 118001 – Published 11 September 2019
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Abstract

We describe simulations of a quasi-one-dimensional, vibrated granular gas which exhibits an apparent phase separation into a liquidlike phase and a gaslike phase. In thermal equilibrium, such a phase separation in one dimension is prohibited by entropic considerations. We propose that the granular gas minimizes a function of the conserved mechanical variables alone: the particle number and volume. Simulations in small cells can be used to extract the equation of state and predict the coexisting pressure and densities, as confirmation of the minimization principle. Fluctuations in the system manifest themselves as persistent density waves but they do not destroy the phase-separated state.

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  • Received 15 June 2018
  • Revised 5 July 2019

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.123.118001

© 2019 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Statistical Physics & Thermodynamics

Authors & Affiliations

James P. D. Clewett, R. M. Bowley, and Michael R. Swift

  • School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom

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Issue

Vol. 123, Iss. 11 — 13 September 2019

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