Non-local effects reflect the jamming criticality in granular flows of frictionless particles

TL;DR

This study experimentally investigates frictionless granular flows down inclined planes, revealing that non-local effects are due to finite-size critical phenomena and are governed by the isostatic length, clarifying the nature of jamming transitions.

Contribution

It demonstrates that non-local effects in frictionless granular flows are governed by the isostatic length, providing a clearer understanding of jamming criticality without frictional influences.

Findings

Thinner frictionless layers lack hysteresis.

Layer stability increases as thickness decreases.

Rheological laws collapse into a master curve.

Abstract

The jamming transition is accompanied by a rich phenomenology, such as hysteresis or non-local effects, which is still not well understood. Here we experimentally investigate a model frictionless granular layer flowing down an inclined plane, as a way to disentangle generic collective effects from those arising from frictional interactions. We find that thin frictionless granular layers are devoid of hysteresis, yet the layer stability is increased as it gets thinner. Rheological laws obtained for different layer thicknesses can be collapsed into a unique master curve, supporting that non-local effects are the consequence of the usual finite-size effects associated to the presence of a critical point. This collapse indicates that the so-called isostatic length $l^*$ governs the effect of boundaries on flow, and rules out other propositions made in the past.