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arXiv · 1504.07667

Geometric order parameters derived from the Voronoi tessellation show signatures of the jamming transition

Peter K. Morse·Eric I. Corwin
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Abstract

A jammed packing of frictionless spheres at zero temperature is perfectly specified by the network of contact forces from which mechanical properties can be derived. However, we can alternatively consider a packing as a geometric structure, characterized by a Voronoi tessellation which encodes the local environment around each particle. We find that this local environment characterizes systems both above and below jamming and changes markedly at the transition. A variety of order parameters derived from this tessellation carry signatures of the jamming transition, complete with scaling exponents. Furthermore, we define a real space geometric correlation function which also displays a signature of jamming. Taken together, these results demonstrate the validity and usefulness of a purely geometric approach to jamming.

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Peter K. Morse, Eric I. Corwin. 2015-04-28. Geometric order parameters derived from the Voronoi tessellation show signatures of the jamming transition. https://doi.org/10.1039/c5sm02575c

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