Crystallization of a Quasi-Two-Dimensional Granular Fluid

Abstract

We experimentally investigate the crystallization of a uniformly heated quasi-2D granular fluid as a function of the filling fraction. Our experimental results for the Lindemann melting criterion, the radial distribution function, the bond order parameter, and the statistics of topological changes at the particle level are the same as those found in simulations of equilibrium hard disks. This direct mapping suggests that the study of equilibrium systems can be effectively applied to study nonequilibrium steady states such as those found in our driven and dissipative granular system.