Hyperuniform states generated by a critical friction field

Abstract

Hyperuniform states are an efficient way to fill up space for disordered systems. In these states the particle distribution is disordered at the short scale but becomes increasingly uniform when looked at large scales. Hyperuniformity appears in several systems, in static or quasistatic regimes, as well as close to transitions to absorbing states. Here, we show that a vibrated granular layer, at the critical point of the liquid-to-solid transition, displays dynamic hyperuniformity. Prior to the transition, patches of the solid phase form, with length scales and mean lifetimes that diverge critically at the transition point. When reducing the wave number, density fluctuations encounter increasingly more patches that block their propagation, resulting in a static structure factor that tends to zero for small wave numbers at the critical point, which is a signature of hyperuniformity. A simple model demonstrates that this coupling of a density field to a highly fluctuating scalar friction field gives rise to dynamic hyperuniform states. Finally, we show that the structure factor detects better the emergence of hyperuniformity, compared to the particle number variance.