Lever rule violation and pressure imbalance in a driven granular system

Abstract

We study a monolayer of metal balls under periodic chiral driving in the horizontal plane. Energy dissipation occurs in this system via (i) inelastic collisions and (ii) frictional interaction with the substrate. We show that below a density-dependent critical drive, the system phase separates into a fluid phase coexisting with a solid phase. Unlike ordinary coexistence, however, the system does not obey the lever rule, as the fluid-phase density depends on the overall particle density. Additionally, the pressure is discontinuous across the fluid-solid interface, accompanied by a chiral edge current at the interface.