Propagating irreversibility fronts in cyclically sheared suspensions

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2 Scopus citations

Abstract

The interface separating a liquid from its vapor phase is diffuse; the composition varies continuously from one phase to the other over a finite length. Recent experiments on dynamic jamming fronts in two dimensions [Waitukaitis , Europhys. Lett. 102, 44001 (2013)EULEEJ0295-507510.1209/0295-5075/102/44001] identified a diffuse interface between jammed and unjammed disks. In both cases, the thickness of the interface diverges as a critical transition is approached. We investigate the generality of this behavior using a third system: A model of cyclically sheared non-Brownian suspensions. As we sediment the particles toward a boundary, we observe a diffuse traveling front that marks the interface between irreversible and reversible phases. We argue that the front width is linked to a diverging correlation length scale in the bulk, which we probe by studying avalanches near criticality. Our results show how diffuse interfaces may arise generally when an incompressible phase is brought to a critical point.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number013025
JournalPhysical Review Research
Volume4
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2022

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Physics and Astronomy

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