Article (Scientific journals)
Correlation between Structural Order and Diffusion Length in Granular Flow
Luce, David; Gans, Adrien; Kiesgen de Richter, Sébastien et al.
2026In Physical Review Letters, 136 (22)
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Keywords :
Physics - Soft Condensed Matter; Physics - Disordered Systems and Neural Networks; Physics - Statistical Mechanics
Abstract :
[en] We investigate how structural ordering, i.e., crystallization, affects the flow of bidisperse granular materials in a quasi-two-dimensional silo. By systematically varying the mass fraction of two particle sizes, we finely tune the degree of local order. Using high-speed imaging and kinematic modeling, we show that crystallization significantly enhances the diffusion length b, a key parameter controlling the Velocity profiles within the flowing medium. We reveal a strong correlation between b, the hexatic order parameter ψ6, and the cluster size ξ, highlighting the role of local structural organization in governing macroscopic flow. Furthermore, pressure gradients within the silo stabilize orientational order even without crystallization, thus intrinsically increasing b with height. These results highlight a direct link between microstructural order, pressure, and transport properties in granular silo flows and suggest that similar mechanisms may operate in other particulate systems, such as colloids, foams, or emulsions, where local structural ordering and confinement affect flow and transport.
Disciplines :
Physics
Author, co-author :
Luce, David  ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Complex and Entangled Systems from Atoms to Materials (CESAM)
Gans, Adrien
Kiesgen de Richter, Sébastien
Vandewalle, Nicolas  ;  Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de physique > Physique statistique
Language :
English
Title :
Correlation between Structural Order and Diffusion Length in Granular Flow
Alternative titles :
[fr] Corrélation entre l'ordre structural et la longueur de diffusion dans les écoulements granulaires
Publication date :
02 June 2026
Journal title :
Physical Review Letters
ISSN :
0031-9007
eISSN :
1079-7114
Publisher :
American Physical Society (APS)
Volume :
136
Issue :
22
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Funders :
UL - Université de Lorraine
IUF - Institut Universitaire de France
Commentary :
5 pages, 6 figures
Available on ORBi :
since 10 June 2026

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