arXiv subjects

Andrea Puglisi

Publications and source records attributed to Andrea Puglisi.

89 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2008

Attempted density blowup in a freely cooling dilute granular gas: hydrodynamics versus molecular dynamics

It has been recently shown (Fouxon et al. 2007) that, in the framework of ideal granular hydrodynamics (IGHD), an initially smooth hydrodynamic flow of a granular gas can produce an infinite gas density in a finite time. Exact solutions that exhibit this property have been derived. Close to the singularity, the granular gas pressure is finite and almost constant. This work reports molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of a freely cooling gas of nearly elastically colliding hard disks, aimed at identifying the "attempted" density blowup regime. The initial conditions of the simulated flow mimic those of one particular solution of the IGHD equations that exhibits the density blowup. We measure the hydrodynamic fields in the MD simulations and compare them with predictions from the ideal theory. We find a remarkable quantitative agreement between the two over an extended time interval, proving the existence of the attempted blowup regime. As the attempted singularity is approached, the hydrodynamic fields, as observed in the MD simulations, deviate from the predictions of the ideal solution. To investigate the mechanism of breakdown of the ideal theory near the singularity, we extend the hydrodynamic theory by accounting separately for the gradient-dependent transport and for finite density corrections.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2007

The dynamical collision network in granular gases

We dynamically construct the interaction network in a granular gas, using the sequence of collisions collected in an MD event driven simulation of inelastic hard disks from time 0 till time t. The network is decomposed into its k-core structure: particles in a core of index k have collided at least k times with other particles in the same core. The difference between cores k+1 and k is the so-called k-shell, and the set of all shells is a complete and on-overlapping decomposition of the system. Because of energy dissipation, the gas cools down: its initial spatially homogeneous dynamics, characterized by the Haff law, i.e. a t^{-2} energy decay, is unstable towards a strongly inhomogeneous phase with clusters and vortices, where energy decays as t^{-1}. The clear transition between those two phases appears in the evolution of the k-shells structure in the collision network. In the homogeneous regime the k-shell structure evolves as in a growing network with fixed number of vertices and randomly added links: the shell distribution is strongly peaked around the most populated shell, which has an index k_{max} ~ 0.9 with the average number of collisions experienced by a particle. During the final non-homogeneous regime a growing fraction of collisions is concentrated in small, almost closed, 'communities' of particles: k_{max} is no more linear in and the distribution of shells becomes extremely large developing a power-law tail ~ k^{-3} for high shell indexes. We propose the k-shell decomposition as a quantitative characterization of Molecular Chaos violation.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2007

Cultural route to the emergence of linguistic categories

Categories provide a coarse grained description of the world. A fundamental question is whether categories simply mirror an underlying structure of nature, or instead come from the complex interactions of human beings among themselves and with the environment. Here we address this question by modelling a population of individuals who co-evolve their own system of symbols and meanings by playing elementary language games. The central result is the emergence of a hierarchical category structure made of two distinct levels: a basic layer, responsible for fine discrimination of the environment, and a shared linguistic layer that groups together perceptions to guarantee communicative success. Remarkably, the number of linguistic categories turns out to be finite and small, as observed in natural languages.

physics.soc-ph↗

arXiv2006

A Granular Brownian Ratchet Model

We show by numerical simulations that a non rotationally symmetric body, whose orientation is fixed and whose center of mass can only slide along a rectilinear guide, under the effect of inelastic collisions with a surrounding gas of particles, displays directed motion. We present a theory which explains how the lack of time reversal induced by the inelasticity of collisions can be exploited to generate a steady average drift. In the limit of an heavy ratchet, we derive an effective Langevin equation whose parameters depend on the microscopic properties of the system and obtain a fairly good quantitative agreement between the theoretical predictions and simulations concerning mobility, diffusivity and average velocity.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2006

Relevance of initial and final conditions for the Fluctuation Relation in Markov processes

Numerical observations on a Markov chain and on the continuous Markov process performed by a granular tracer show that the ``usual'' fluctuation relation for a given observable is not verified for finite (but arbitrarily large) times. This suggests that some terms which are usually expected to be negligible, i.e. ``border terms'' dependent only on initial and final states, in fact cannot be neglected. Furthermore, the Markov chain and the granular tracer behave in a quite similar fashion.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2005

Dynamics of a tracer granular particle as a non-equilibrium Markov process

The dynamics of a tracer particle in a stationary driven granular gas is investigated. We show how to transform the linear Boltzmann equation describing the dynamics of the tracer into a master equation for a continuous Markov process. The transition rates depend upon the stationary velocity distribution of the gas. When the gas has a Gaussian velocity probability distribution function (pdf), the stationary velocity pdf of the tracer is Gaussian with a lower temperature and satisfies detailed balance for any value of the restitution coefficient $α$. As soon as the velocity pdf of the gas departs from the Gaussian form, detailed balance is violated. This non-equilibrium state can be characterized in terms of a Lebowitz-Spohn action functional $W(τ)$ defined over trajectories of time duration $τ$. We discuss the properties of this functional and of a similar functional $\bar{W}(τ)$ which differs from the first for a term which is non-extensive in time. On the one hand we show that in numerical experiments, i.e. at finite times $τ$, the two functionals have different fluctuations and $\bar{W}$ always satisfies an Evans-Searles-like symmetry. On the other hand we cannot observe the verification of the Lebowitz-Spohn-Gallavotti-Cohen (LS-GC) relation, which is expected for $W(τ)$ at very large times $τ$. We give an argument for the possible failure of the LS-GC relation in this situation. We also suggest practical recipes for measuring $W(τ)$ and $\bar{W}(τ)$ in experiments.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2005

Towards a continuum theory of clustering in a freely cooling inelastic gas

We performed molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the clustering instability of a freely cooling dilute gas of inelastically colliding disks in a quasi-one-dimensional setting. We observe that, as the gas cools, the shear stress becomes negligibly small, and the gas flows by inertia only. Finite-time singularities, intrinsic in such a flow, are arrested only when close-packed clusters are formed. We observe that the late-time dynamics of this system are describable by the Burgers equation with vanishing viscosity, and predict the long-time coarsening behavior.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2005

Models of fluidized granular materials: examples of non-equilibrium stationary states

We review some models of granular materials fluidized by means of external forces such as: random homogeneous forcing with damping, vibrating plates, flow in an inclined channel and flow in a double well potential. All these systems show the presence of density correlations and non-Gaussian velocity distributions. These models are useful to understand the role of a kinetically defined ``temperature'' (in this case the so-called {\em granular temperature}) in a non-equilibrium stationary state. In the homogeneously randomly driven gas the granular temperature is {\em different} from that of the driving bath. Moreover two different granular materials mixed together may stay in a stationary state with different temperatures. At the same time, granular temperature determines (as in equilibrium systems) the escape time from a well in a double well potential.

cond-mat.soft↗

arXiv2004

Inelastic hard-rods in a periodic potential

A simple model of inelastic hard-rods subject to a one-dimensional array of identical wells is introduced. The energy loss due to inelastic collisions is balanced by the work supplied by an external stochastic heat-bath. We explore the effect of the spatial non uniformity on the steady states of the system. The spatial variations of the density, granular temperature and pressure induced by the gradient of the external potential are investigated and compared with the analogous variations in an elastic system. Finally, we study the clustering process by considering the relaxation of the system starting from a uniform homogeneous state.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2004

Thermal convection in mono-disperse and bi-disperse granular gases: A simulation study

We present results of a simulation study of inelastic hard-disks vibrated in a vertical container. An Event-Driven Molecular Dynamics method is developed for studying the onset of convection. Varying the relevant parameters (inelasticity, number of layers at rest, intensity of the gravity) we are able to obtain a qualitative agreement of our results with recent hydrodynamical predictions. Increasing the inelasticity, a first continuous transition from the absence of convection to one convective roll is observed, followed by a discontinuous transition to two convective rolls, with hysteretic behavior. At fixed inelasticity and increasing gravity, a transition from no convection to one roll can be evidenced. If the gravity is further increased, the roll is eventually suppressed. Increasing the number of monolayers the system eventually localizes mostly at the bottom of the box: in this case multiple convective rolls as well as surface waves appear. We analyze the density and temperature fields and study the existence of symmetry breaking in these fields in the direction perpendicular to the injection of energy. We also study a binary mixture of grains with different properties (inelasticity or diameters). The effect of changing the properties of one of the components is analyzed, together with density, temperature and temperature ratio fields. Finally, the presence of a low-fraction of quasi-elastic impurities is shown to determine a sharp transition between convective and non-convective steady states.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2004

Continuum description of finite-size particles advected by external flows. The effect of collisions

The equation of the density field of an assembly of macroscopic particles advected by a hydrodynamic flow is derived from the microscopic description of the system. This equation allows to recognize the role and the relative importance of the different microscopic processes implicit in the model: the driving of the external flow, the inertia of the particles, and the collisions among them. The validity of the density description is confirmed by comparisons of numerical studies of the continuum equation with Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) simulations of hard disks advected by a chaotic flow. We show that the collisions have two competing roles: a dispersing-like effect and a clustering effect (even for elastic collisions). An unexpected feature is also observed in the system: the presence of collisions can reverse the effect of inertia, so that grains with lower inertia are more clusterized.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2003

Temperature probes in binary granular gases

We investigate the validity of Fluctuation-Dissipation (FD) relations for a mixture of two granular gases with different physical properties (restitution coefficients or masses) subject to stochastic driving. It is well known that the partial granular temperatures T_1 and T_2 of the two components are different, i.e. energy equipartition is broken. We observe, with numerical simulations of inelastic hard disks in homogeneous and non-homogeneous situations, that the classical equilibrium Green-Kubo relations are satisfied separately for each component of the gas, the role of the equilibrium temperature being played by the granular temperature of each component. Of particular interest is the limit in which one of the two components consists of only one particle, representing a non-perturbing thermometer. In this case it turns out that such a thermometer is measuring its own temperature and not that of the surrounding granular media, which in general will be different.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2003

Fluid-like behavior of a one-dimensional granular gas

We study the properties of a one-dimensional (1D) granular gas consisting of $N$ hard rods on a line of length $L$ (with periodic boundary conditions). The particles collide inelastically and are fluidized by a heat bath at temperature $T_b$ and viscosity $γ$. The analysis is supported by molecular dynamics simulations. The average properties of the system are first discussed, focusing on the relations between granular temperature $T_g=m< v^2>$, kinetic pressure and density $ρ=N/L$. Thereafter, we consider the fluctuations around the average behavior obtaining a slightly non-Gaussian behavior of the velocity distributions and a spatially correlated velocity field; the density field displays clustering: this is reflected in the structure factor which has a peak in the $k \sim 0$ region suggesting an analogy between inelastic hard core interactions and an effective attractive potential. Finally, we study the transport properties, showing the typical sub-diffusive behavior of 1D stochastically driven systems, i.e. $<|x(t)-x(0)|^2 > \sim Dt^{1/2}$ where $D$ for the inelastic fluid is larger than the elastic case. This is directly related to the peak of the structure factor at small wave-vectors.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2003

Velocity fluctuations in cooling granular gases

We study the formation and the dynamics of correlations in the velocity field for 1D and 2D cooling granular gases with the assumption of negligible density fluctuations (``Homogeneous Velocity-correlated Cooling State'', HVCS). It is shown that the predictions of mean field models fail when velocity fluctuations become important. The study of correlations is done by means of molecular dynamics and introducing an Inelastic Lattice Maxwell Models. This lattice model is able to reproduce all the properties of the Homogeneous Cooling State and several features of the HVCS. Moreover it allows very precise measurements of structure functions and other crucial statistical indicators. The study suggests that both the 1D and the 2D dynamics of the velocity field are compatible with a diffusive dynamics at large scale with a more complex behavior at small scale. In 2D the issue of scale separation, which is of interest in the context of kinetic theories, is addressed.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2002

Sand stirred by chaotic advection

We study the spatial structure of a granular material, N particles subject to inelastic mutual collisions, when it is stirred by a bidimensional smooth chaotic flow. A simple dynamical model is introduced where four different time scales are explicitly considered: i) the Stokes time, accounting for the inertia of the particles, ii) the mean collision time among the grains, iii) the typical time scale of the flow, and iv) the inverse of the Lyapunov exponent of the chaotic flow, which gives a typical time for the separation of two initially close parcels of fluid. Depending on the relative values of these different times a complex scenario appears for the long-time steady spatial distribution of particles, where clusters of particles may or not appear.

nlin.CD↗

arXiv2002

Steady state properties of a mean field model of driven inelastic mixtures

We investigate a Maxwell model of inelastic granular mixture under the influence of a stochastic driving and obtain its steady state properties in the context of classical kinetic theory. The model is studied analytically by computing the moments up to the eighth order and approximating the distributions by means of a Sonine polynomial expansion method. The main findings concern the existence of two different granular temperatures, one for each species, and the characterization of the distribution functions, whose tails are in general more populated than those of an elastic system. These analytical results are tested against Monte Carlo numerical simulations of the model and are in general in good agreement. The simulations, however, reveal the presence of pronounced non-gaussian tails in the case of an infinite temperature bath, which are not well reproduced by the Sonine method.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2001

Which is the temperature of granular systems? A mean field model of free cooling inelastic mixtures

We consider a mean field model describing the free cooling process of a two component granular mixture, a generalization of so called Maxwell model. The cooling is viewed as an ordering process and the scaling behavior is attributed to the presence of an attractive fixed point at $v=0$ for the dynamics. By means of asymptotic analysis of the Boltzmann equation and of numerical simulations we get the following results: 1)we establish the existence of two different partial granular temperatures, one for each component, which violates the Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics; 2) we obtain the scaling form of the two distribution functions; 3) we prove the existence of a continuous spectrum of exponents characterizing the inverse-power law decay of the tails of the velocity, which generalizes the previously reported value 4 for the pure model; 4) we find that the exponents depend on the composition, masses and restitution coefficients of the mixture; 5) we also remark that the reported distributions represent a dynamical realization of those predicted by the Non Extensive Statistical Mechanics, in spite of the fact that ours stem from a purely dynamical approach.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗