Velocity Distribution in a Viscous Granular Gas
Abstract
We investigate the velocity relaxation of a viscous one-dimensional granular gas, that is, one in which neither energy nor momentum is conserved in a collision. Of interest is the distribution of velocities in the gas as it cools, and the time dependence of the relaxation behavior. A Boltzmann equation of instantaneous binary collisions leads to a two-peaked distribution with each peak relaxing to zero velocity as 1/t while each peak also narrows as 1/t. Numerical simulations of grains on a line also lead to a double-peaked distribution that narrows as 1/t. A Maxwell approximation leads to a single-peaked distribution about zero velocity with power-law wings. This distribution narrows exponentially. In either case, the relaxing distribution is not of Maxwell-Boltzmann form.
Cite
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0404405,
title = {Velocity Distribution in a Viscous Granular Gas},
author = {Alexandre Rosas and Daniel ben-Avraham and Katja Lindenberg},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0404405},
year = {2009}
}