Random Close Packing as a Dynamical Phase Transition

Journal Article · 11 July 2021 · Physical Review Letters

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.127.038002 · OSTI ID:1850634

Wilken, Sam  ^[1]; Guerra, Rodrigo E.  ^[2]; Levine, Dov ^[3]; Chaikin, Paul M. ^[2]

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1. New York Univ. (NYU), NY (United States); OSTI
2. New York Univ. (NYU), NY (United States)
3. Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa (Israel)

Sphere packing is an ancient problem. The densest packing is known to be a face-centered cubic (FCC) crystal, with space-filling fraction Φ_FCC = π / √ 18 ≈ 0.74 . The densest “random packing,” random close packing (RCP), is yet ill defined, although many experiments and simulations agree on a value Φ_RCP ≈ 0.64 . We introduce a simple absorbing-state model, biased random organization (BRO), which exhibits a Manna class dynamical phase transition between absorbing and active states that has as its densest critical point Φ_cmax ≈ 0.64 ≈ Φ_RCP and, like other Manna class models, is hyperuniform at criticality. The configurations we obtain from BRO appear to be structurally identical to RCP configurations from other protocols. This leads us to conjecture that the highest-density absorbing state for an isotropic biased random organization model produces an ensemble of configurations that characterizes the state conventionally known as RCP.

• Research Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston, IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC)
• Grant/Contract Number: SC0000989
• OSTI ID: 1850634
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 127; ISSN 0031-9007
• Publisher: American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English