Anisotropic dynamics in a shaken granular dimer gas experiment

The dynamics, velocity fluctuations, and particle-plate interactions for a 2D granular gas of shaken, non-spherical particles are studied experimentally. The experiment consists of a horizontal plate that is vertically oscillated to drive the dynamics of macroscopic dimers, spherical pairs that are loosely connected by a rod that couple the interaction each of the spheres has with the shaking plate. The extended nature of the particles results in more than one energy-momentum transfer between the plate and each dimer per shaking cycle. This complex interaction results in anisotropic behavior for the dimer that is a function of the shaking parameters.Comment: 10 pages and 5 figure

Two-dimensional melting far from equilibrium in a granular monolayer

We report an experimental investigation of the transition from a hexagonally ordered solid phase to a disordered liquid in a monolayer of vibrated spheres. The transition occurs as the intensity of the vibration amplitude is increased. Measurements of the density of dislocations and the positional and orientational correlation functions show evidence for a dislocation-mediated continuous transition from a solid phase with long-range order to a liquid with only short-range order. The results show a strong similarity to simulations of melting of hard disks in equilibrium, despite the fact that the granular monolayer is far from equilibrium due to the effects of interparticle dissipation and the vibrational forcing.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Velocity Fluctuations in Electrostatically Driven Granular Media

We study experimentally the particle velocity fluctuations in an electrostatically driven dilute granular gas. The experimentally obtained velocity distribution functions have strong deviations from Maxwellian form in a wide range of parameters. We have found that the tails of the distribution functions are consistent with a stretched exponential law with typical exponents of the order 3/2. Molecular dynamic simulations shows qualitative agreement with experimental data. Our results suggest that this non-Gaussian behavior is typical for most inelastic gases with both short and long range interactions.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Non-Gaussian velocity distributions in excited granular matter in the absence of clustering

The velocity distribution of spheres rolling on a slightly tilted rectangular two dimensional surface is obtained by high speed imaging. The particles are excited by periodic forcing of one of the side walls. Our data suggests that strongly non-Gaussian velocity distributions can occur in dilute granular materials even in the absence of significant density correlations or clustering. When the surface on which the particles roll is tilted further to introduce stronger gravitation, the collision frequency with the driving wall increases and the velocity component distributions approach Gaussian distributions of different widths.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures. Additional information at http://physics.clarku.edu/~akudrolli/nls.htm

Forcing and Velocity Correlations in a Vibrated Granular Monolayer

The role of forcing on the dynamics of a vertically shaken granular monolayer is investigated. Using a flat plate, surprising negative velocity correlations are measured. A mechanism for this anti-correlation is proposed with support from both experimental results and molecular dynamics simulations. Using a rough plate, velocity correlations are positive, and the velocity distribution evolves from a gaussian at very low densities to a broader distribution at high densities. These results are interpreted as a balance between stochastic forcing, interparticle collisions, and friction with the plate.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Marine Biotechnology: A New Vision and Strategy for Europe

Marine Board-ESF The Marine Board provides a pan-European platform for its member organisations to develop common priorities, to advance marine research, and to bridge the gap between science and policy in order to meet future marine science challenges and opportunities. The Marine Board was established in 1995 to facilitate enhanced cooperation between European marine science organisations (both research institutes and research funding agencies) towards the development of a common vision on the research priorities and strategies for marine science in Europe. In 2010, the Marine Board represents 30 Member Organisations from 19 countries. The Marine Board provides the essential components for transferring knowledge for leadership in marine research in Europe. Adopting a strategic role, the Marine Board serves its Member Organisations by providing a forum within which marine research policy advice to national agencies and to the European Commission is developed, with the objective of promoting the establishment of the European Marine Research Area

Velocity distributions in dissipative granular gases

Motivated by recent experiments reporting non-Gaussian velocity distributions in driven dilute granular materials, we study by numerical simulation the properties of 2D inelastic gases. We find theoretically that the form of the observed velocity distribution is governed primarily by the coefficient of restitution $\eta$ and $q=N_H/N_C$, the ratio between the average number of heatings and the average number of collisions in the gas. The differences in distributions we find between uniform and boundary heating can then be understood as different limits of $q$, for $q \gg 1$ and $q \lesssim 1$ respectively.Comment: 5 figure

Two-dimensional Granular Gas of Inelastic Spheres with Multiplicative Driving

We study a two-dimensional granular gas of inelastic spheres subject to multiplicative driving proportional to a power $|v(\vec{x})|^{\delta}$ of the local particle velocity $v(\vec{x})$. The steady state properties of the model are examined for different values of $\delta$, and compared with the homogeneous case $\delta=0$. A driving linearly proportional to $v(\vec{x})$ seems to reproduce some experimental observations which could not be reproduced by a homogeneous driving. Furthermore, we obtain that the system can be homogenized even for strong dissipation, if a driving inversely proportional toComment: 4 pages, 5 figures (accepted as Phys. Rev. Lett.