Spontaneous Patterning of Confined Granular Rods
Soft Condensed Matter
2009-11-11 v2
Abstract
Vertically vibrated rod-shaped granular materials confined to quasi-2D containers self organize into distinct patterns. We find, consistent with theory and simulation, a density dependent isotropic-nematic transition. Along the walls, rods interact sterically to form a wetting layer. For high rod densities, complex patterns emerge as a result of competition between bulk and boundary alignment. A continuum elastic energy accounting for nematic distortion and local wall anchoring reproduces the structures seen experimentally.
Cite
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0508202,
title = {Spontaneous Patterning of Confined Granular Rods},
author = {J. Galanis and D. Harries and D. L. Sackett and W. Losert and R. Nossal},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0508202},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
4 pages, 4 figures, corrected figure formatting