Dynamics of axial separation in long rotating drums

We propose a continuum description for the axial separation of granular materials in a long rotating drum. The model, operating with two local variables, concentration difference and the dynamic angle of repose, describes both initial transient traveling wave dynamics and long-term segregation of the binary mixture. Segregation proceeds through ultra-slow logarithmic coarsening.Comment: 4 pages, 3 Postscript figures; submitted to PR

Patterns and Collective Behavior in Granular Media: Theoretical Concepts

Granular materials are ubiquitous in our daily lives. While they have been a subject of intensive engineering research for centuries, in the last decade granular matter attracted significant attention of physicists. Yet despite a major efforts by many groups, the theoretical description of granular systems remains largely a plethora of different, often contradicting concepts and approaches. Authors give an overview of various theoretical models emerged in the physics of granular matter, with the focus on the onset of collective behavior and pattern formation. Their aim is two-fold: to identify general principles common for granular systems and other complex non-equilibrium systems, and to elucidate important distinctions between collective behavior in granular and continuum pattern-forming systems.Comment: Submitted to Reviews of Modern Physics. Full text with figures (2Mb pdf) avaliable at http://mti.msd.anl.gov/AransonTsimringReview/aranson_tsimring.pdf Community responce is appreciated. Comments/suggestions send to [email protected]

Nightside ionosphere of Mars studied with local electron densities: A general overview and electron density depressions

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/95308/1/jgra21490.pd

Scientific and Technical Aspects of the ESA MarsNEXT Mission

MarsNEXT is a mission in Phase A study by the European Space Agency in the context of preparations for a future mission for Mars Sample Return (MSR). The MarsNEXT mission demonstrates key technologies for European involvement in MSR, which will be an international effort, and also addresses unanswered questions on the interior, atmosphere and history of Mars. These science objectives are realized through a network of landers, which work in synergy with an orbiting spacecraft, a configuration which is required in order to achieve a global understanding of Mars

Study of habitability from Mars-NEXT

The question whether life exists or could have existed on other planets than Earth is not just limited to the search for life but it also requires an understanding of the habitable planetary environments. In its simplest form, habitability requires the stability of liquid water on the surface and/or subsurface of a planet. The factors that determine the stability of water and thus the habitability of a planet are multifaceted and include the internal dynamics, the presence or absence of a magnetosphere, the characteristics and evolution of a planet’s atmosphere, and the presence of energy sources. Those processes have a complex interplay and need to be studied in an interdisciplinary and comprehensive way. The future network-science Mars-NEXT mission addresses several of these objectives and will help to decipher how the key processes might have influenced the habitability on Mars and thus also on other terrestrial planets