Hydrodynamics of an open vibrated granular system - art. no. 061305

Using the hydrodynamic description and molecular dynamics simulations, the steady state of a fluidized granular system in the presence of gravity is s tudied. For an open system, the density profile exhibits a maximum, while t he temperature profile goes through a minimum at high altitude, beyond that the temperature increases with the height. The existence of the minimum is explained by the hydrodynamic equations if the presence of a collisionless boundary layer is taken into account. The energy dissipated by interpartic le collisions is also computed. A good agreement is found between theory an d simulation. The relationship with previous works is discussed.