Granular Physics

The field of granular physics has burgeoned since its development in the late 1980s, when physicists first began to use statistical mechanics to study granular media. They are prototypical of complex systems, manifesting metastability, hysteresis and bistability, and a range of other fascinating phenomena. This 2007 book is a wide-ranging account of developments in granular physics, and lays out the foundations of the statics and dynamics of granular physics. It covers a wide range of subfields, ranging from fluidisation to jamming, and these are modelled through a range of computer simulation and theoretical approaches. Written with an eye to pedagogy and completeness, this book will be valuable asset to any researcher in this field. The book also contains contributions from Professor Sir Sam Edwards, with Dr Raphael Blumenfeld, Professor Isaac Goldhirsch and Professor Philippe Claudin.