title: Fluctuations, correlations and transitions in granular materials: statistical mechanics for a non-conventional system.
abstract: In this work, we first review some general properties of dense granular materials. We are particularly concerned with a statistical description of these materials, and it is in this light that we briefly describe results from four representative studies. These are: experiment 1: determining local force statistics, vector forces, force distributions and correlations for static granular systems; experiment 2: characterizing the jamming transition, for a static two-dimensional system; experiment 3: characterizing plastic failure in dense granular materials; and experiment 4: a dynamical transition where the material 'freezes' in the presence of apparent heating for a sheared and shaken system.
authors: Department of Physics and Center for Nonlinear and Complex Systems, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708-0320, USA. bob@phy.duke.edu
authors: R P
authors: RP
authors: Behringer
authors: Karen E
authors: KE
authors: Daniels
authors: Trushant S
authors: TS
authors: Majmudar
authors: Matthias
authors: M
authors: Sperl