title: Spontaneous separation of charged grains.
abstract: In 1867, Lord Kelvin described an experiment in which two streams of water droplets were connected so that each stream amplified the charge on the second stream [W. Thomson, Proc. R. Soc. London 16, 67 (1867)]. We present here a complementary effect in flowing grains that spontaneously separates similar and well-mixed grains into two charged streams of demixed grains. This effect has important consequences for industrial and natural processes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical & Biochemical Engineering, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08816, USA.
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mehrotra
authors.forename: Fernando J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Muzzio
authors.forename: Troy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shinbrot