Can the jamming transition be described using equilibrium statistical mechanics?

TL;DR

This paper explores whether equilibrium statistical mechanics tools can describe the nonequilibrium jamming transition in soft materials by introducing thermal fluctuations and analyzing the phase behavior of soft particles.

Contribution

It proposes a novel approach of applying equilibrium statistical mechanics to understand the jamming transition, highlighting current limitations and suggesting new analytical schemes.

Findings

Standard methods break down at low temperature and high density

Introducing thermal fluctuations helps analyze phase behavior

New analytical schemes are needed for a complete description

Abstract

When materials such as foams or emulsions are compressed, they display solid behaviour above the so-called `jamming' transition. Because compression is done out-of-equilibrium in the absence of thermal fluctuations, jamming appears as a new kind of a nonequilibrium phase transition. In this proceeding paper, we suggest that tools from equilibrium statistical mechanics can in fact be used to describe many specific features of the jamming transition. Our strategy is to introduce thermal fluctuations and use statistical mechanics to describe the complex phase behaviour of systems of soft repulsive particles, before sending temperature to zero at the end of the calculation. We show that currently available implementations of standard tools such as integral equations, mode-coupling theory, or replica calculations all break down at low temperature and large density, but we suggest that new analytical schemes can be developed to provide a fully microscopic, quantitative description of the jamming transition.