Injected power and entropy flow in a heated granular gas

Abstract

Our interest goes to the power injected in a heated granular gas and to the possibility to interpret it in terms of entropy flow. We numerically determine the distribution of the injected power by means of Monte Carlo simulations. Then, we provide a kinetic-theory approach to the computation of such a distribution function. Finally, after showing why the injected power does not satisfy a fluctuation relation à la Gallavotti-Cohen, we put forward a new quantity which does fulfill such a relation, and is not only applicable in a variety of frameworks outside the granular world, but also experimentally accessible. © EDP Sciences.