Shear-thickening and entropy-driven reentrance.
We discuss a generic mechanism for shear thickening analogous to entropy-driven phase reentrance. We implement it in the context of nonrelaxational mean-field glassy systems: although very simple, the microscopic models we study present a dynamical phase diagram with second- and first-order stirring-induced jamming transitions leading to intermittency, metastability, and phase coexistence as seen in some experiments. The jammed state is fragile with respect to change in the stirring direction. Our approach provides a direct derivation of a mode-coupling theory of shear thickening.
Sellitto
Mauro
M
Institute for Scientific Interchange, Viale S. Severo 65, 10133 Torino, Italy.
Kurchan
Jorge
J