{
  "id": "0911.1265",
  "version": "v1",
  "published": "2009-11-06T14:33:29.000Z",
  "updated": "2009-11-06T14:33:29.000Z",
  "title": "Swimming in Granular Media",
  "authors": [
    "Takashi Shimada",
    "Dirk Kadau",
    "Troy Shinbrot",
    "Hans J. Herrmann"
  ],
  "journal": "Physical Review E 80, 020301 (2009)",
  "categories": [
    "cond-mat.stat-mech",
    "cond-mat.soft"
  ],
  "abstract": "We study a simple model of periodic contraction and extension of large intruders in a granular bed to understand the mechanism for swimming in an otherwise solid media. Using an event-driven simulation, we find optimal conditions that idealized swimmers must use to critically fluidize a sand bed so that it is rigid enough to support a load when needed, but fluid enough to permit motion with minimal resistance. Swimmers - or other intruders - that agitate the bed too rapidly produce large voids that prevent traction from being achieved, while swimmers that move too slowly cannot travel before the bed re-solidifies around them i.e., the swimmers locally probe the fundamental time-scale in a granular packing.",
  "revisions": [
    {
      "version": "v1",
      "updated": "2009-11-06T14:33:29.000Z"
    }
  ],
  "analyses": {
    "subjects": [
      "45.70.-n",
      "46.15.-x",
      "47.15.G-"
    ],
    "keywords": [
      "granular media",
      "rapidly produce large voids",
      "minimal resistance",
      "solid media",
      "event-driven simulation"
    ],
    "tags": [
      "journal article"
    ],
    "publication": {
      "publisher": "APS",
      "journal": "Physical Review E",
      "doi": "10.1103/PhysRevE.80.020301",
      "year": 2009,
      "month": "Aug",
      "volume": 80,
      "number": 2,
      "pages": "020301"
    },
    "note": {
      "typesetting": "TeX",
      "pages": 0,
      "language": "en",
      "license": "arXiv",
      "status": "editable",
      "adsabs": "2009PhRvE..80b0301S"
    }
  }
}