Granular Leidenfrost effect in microgravity

Abstract

When a container filled with granular material is subjected to vertical vibration in the presence of gravity, under certain conditions a non-monotonous density profile can be observed. This effect which is characteristic for dissipative granular gases, was termed “floating cluster regime” or “granular Leidenfrost effect”. Here, we study the behavior of vibro-agitated granular matter in the absence of gravity and identify a corresponding stationary state of the granulate, that is, we provide experimental evidence of the granular Leidenfrost effect under conditions of weightlessness.