The Statistical Physics of Athermal Materials
arXiv:1404.1854 · doi:10.1146/annurev-conmatphys-031214-014336
Abstract
At the core of equilibrium statistical mechanics lies the notion of statistical ensembles: a collection of microstates, each occurring with a given a priori probability that depends only on a few macroscopic parameters such as temperature, pressure, volume, and energy. In this review article, we discuss recent advances in establishing statistical ensembles for athermal materials. The broad class of granular and particulate materials is immune from the effects of thermal fluctuations because the constituents are macroscopic. In addition, interactions between grains are frictional and dissipative, which invalidates the fundamental postulates of equilibrium statistical mechanics. However, granular materials exhibit distributions of microscopic quantities that are reproducible and often depend on only a few macroscopic parameters. We explore the history of statistical ensemble ideas in the context of granular materials, clarify the nature of such ensembles and their foundational principles, highlight advances in testing key ideas, and discuss applications of ensembles to analyze the collective behavior of granular materials.
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- Another resolution of the configurational entropy paradox as applied to hard spheres
- Theoretical approaches to the steady-state statistical physics of interacting dissipative units
- Relating Microstructure and Particle-level Stress in Colloidal Crystals Under Increased Confinement
- Generalized Edwards thermodynamics and marginal stability in a driven system with dry and viscous friction