Jamming transition in a highly dense granular system under vertical vibration

TL;DR

This study investigates the jamming transition in a dense granular system under vertical vibration, revealing a phase transition from fluid-like to solid-like behavior as vibration acceleration approaches gravity, with glass-like relaxation dynamics.

Contribution

It provides experimental evidence of a jamming transition in granular materials under vibration and characterizes the relaxation dynamics near the transition point.

Findings

Relaxation time diverges near the transition

System transitions from fluid to solid behavior

Structural relaxation exhibits stretched exponential behavior

Abstract

The dynamics of the jamming transition in a three-dimensional granular system under vertical vibration is studied using diffusing-wave spectroscopy. When the maximum acceleration of the external vibration is large, the granular system behaves like a fluid, with the dynamic correlation function G(t) relaxing rapidly. As the acceleration of vibration approaches the gravitational acceleration g, the relaxation of G(t) slows down dramatically, and eventually stops. Thus the system undergoes a phase transition and behaves like a solid. Near the transition point, we find that the structural relaxation shows a stretched exponential behavior. This behavior is analogous to the behavior of supercooled liquids close to the glass transition.