Eur. Phys. J. E 9, 265-269 (2002)
DOI: 10.1140/epje/i2002-10089-9

Thermodynamics and effective temperatures in sheared granular matter and emulsions

H. Makse

Levich Institute and Physics Department, City College of New York, New York, NY 10031, USA

makse@levdec.engr.ccny.cuny.edu

(Received 25 April 2002 and Received in final form 28 October 2002 / Published online: 23 December 2002)

Abstract
Recent theories postulate that the non-equilibrium behavior of systems experiencing jamming or structural arrest could be described by equilibrium thermodynamic concepts. If a thermodynamic framework can describe the behavior of systems far from equilibrium, then an effective temperature with a true thermodynamic meaning exists as a key parameter in characterizing the material's properties. In order to examine the validity of the thermodynamics for jammed systems, we perform a numerical experiment with a realistic granular matter model specially conceived to be reproducible in the laboratory. The results strongly support the thermodynamic picture.

PACS
81.05.Rm - Porous materials; granular materials.
83.80.Lz - Physiological materials (e.g. blood, collagen, etc.).

© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag 2002