title: Residual Defect Density in Random Disks Deposits.
abstract: We investigate the residual distribution of structural defects in very tall packings of disks deposited randomly in large channels. By performing simulations involving the sedimentation of up to 50 × 10(9) particles we find all deposits to consistently show a non-zero residual density of defects obeying a characteristic power-law as a function of the channel width. This remarkable finding corrects the widespread belief that the density of defects should vanish algebraically with growing height. A non-zero residual density of defects implies a type of long-range spatial order in the packing, as opposed to only local ordering. In addition, we find deposits of particles to involve considerably less randomness than generally presumed.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Multiscale Simulation, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Nikola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Topic
authors.affiliation: Institute for Multiscale Simulation, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Thorsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pöschel
authors.affiliation: 1] Institute for Multiscale Simulation, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany [2] Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, 58051-970 João Pessoa, Brazil [3] Instituto de Altos Estudos da Paraíba, Rua Infante Dom Henrique 100-1801, 58039-150 João Pessoa, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jason A C
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Gallas