Edwards thermodynamics of the jamming transition for frictionless packings: ergodicity test and role of angoricity and compactivity

TL;DR

This paper applies Edwards thermodynamics to the jamming transition in frictionless granular materials, testing ergodicity, analyzing the role of angoricity and compactivity, and characterizing the transition as thermodynamic and non-critical.

Contribution

It demonstrates the applicability of Edwards thermodynamics to describe the jamming transition, including ergodicity tests and the thermodynamic nature of the transition.

Findings

Agreement between dynamical and ensemble properties supports ergodicity.

Jamming transition characterized by maximum entropy principles.

Transition shows no critical fluctuations, indicating a thermodynamic phase transition.

Abstract

This paper illustrates how the tools of equilibrium statistical mechanics can help to explain a far-from-equilibrium problem: the jamming transition in frictionless granular materials. Edwards ideas consist of proposing a statistical ensemble of volume and stress fluctuations through the thermodynamic notion of entropy, compactivity, X, and angoricity, A (two temperature-like variables). We find that Edwards thermodynamics is able to describe the jamming transition (J-point). Using the ensemble formalism we elucidate the following: (i)We test the combined volume-stress ensemble by comparing the statistical properties of jammed configurations obtained by dynamics with those averaged over the ensemble of minima in the potential energy landscape as a test of ergodicity. Agreement between both methods supports the idea of "thermalization" at a given angoricity and compactivity. (ii) A microcanonical ensemble analysis supports the idea of maximum entropy principle for grains. (iii) The intensive variables describe the approach to jamming through a series of scaling relations as A {\to} 0+ and X {\to} 0-. Due to the force-volume coupling, the jamming transition can be probed thermodynamically by a "jamming temperature" TJ comprised of contributions from A and X. (iv) The thermodynamic framework reveals the order of the jamming phase transition by showing the absence of critical fluctuations at jamming in observables like pressure and volume. (v) Finally, we elaborate on a comparison with relevant studies showing a breakdown of equiprobability of microstates.