title: Adsorption-desorption model and its application to vibrated granular materials.
abstract: We investigate both analytically and by numerical simulation the kinetics of a microscopic model of hard rods adsorbing on a linear substrate, a model that is relevant for compaction of granular materials. The computer simulations use an event-driven algorithm that is particularly efficient at very long times. For a small, but finite desorption rate, the system reaches an equilibrium state very slowly, and the long-time kinetics display three successive regimes: an algebraic one where the density varies as 1/t, a logarithmic one where the density varies as 1/ln(t), followed by a terminal exponential approach. The characteristic relaxation time of the final regime, though incorrectly predicted by mean field arguments, can be obtained with a systematic gap-distribution approach. The density fluctuations at equilibrium are also investigated, and the associated time-dependent correlation function exhibits a power law regime followed by a final exponential decay. Finally, we show that denser particle packings can be obtained by varying the desorption rate during the process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15282-1530, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Talbot
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tarjus
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Viot
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D000465:Algorithms; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D014732:Vibration