A TETRIS-LIKE MODEL FOR THE COMPACTION OF DRY GRANULAR MEDIA

We propose a two-dimensional geometrical model, based on the concept o f geometrical frustration, conceived for the study of compaction in gr anular media. The dynamics exhibits an interesting inverse logarithmic law that is well known from real experiments. Moreover, we present a simple dynamical model of N planes exchanging particles with excluded volume problems, which allows us to clarify the origin of the logarith mic relaxations and the stationary density distribution. A simple mapp ing allows us to cast this Tetris-like model in the form of an Ising-l ike spin system with vacancies.