Provides the state-of-the-art of the physics of granular media for graduate students and researchers in physics, applied mathematics and engineering.

Despite extensive empirical experience, there is both a scientific challenge and a technological need to develop an understanding of the mechanisms underlying the flow of grains. This new reference provides quick access to the current level of knowledge, containing review articles covering recent developments in the field of granular media from the viewpoints of applied, experimental, and theoretical physics. In short, a must-have for advanced researchers and specialists as well as a useful starting point for anyone entering this field. The authors represent different directions of research in the field, with their contributions covering: - Static properties - Granular gases - Dense granular flow - Hydrodynamic interactions - Charged and magnetic granular matter - Computational aspects

"Granular Gases" are diluted many-particle systems in which the mean free path of the particles is much larger than the typical particle size, and where particle collisions occur dissipatively. The dissipation of kinetic energy can lead to effects such as the formation of clusters, anomalous diffusion and characteristic shock waves to name but a few. The book is organized as follows: Part I comprises the rigorous theoretical results for the dilute limit. The detailed properties of binary collisions are described in Part II. Part III contains experimental investigations of granular gases. Large-scale behaviour as found in astrophysical systems is discussed in Part IV. Part V, finally, deals with possible generalizations for dense granular systems.

Granular materials are a special topic of recent research and are a milestone of science and technology. These materials are very simple: they are large conglomerations of discrete macroscopic particles. Granular materials have a broad area of development, which is growing rapidly day by day. Their impact on commercial applications and academia and education is huge. The basic points of this book are the important applications and properties of granular materials. For example, special mention is made of rheological points, shapes, and civil engineering aspects.

Presented in an accessible and introductory manner, this is the first book devoted to the comprehensive study of colloidal suspensions.

This book focuses on the impact dynamics and cratering of soft matter to describe its importance, difficulty, and wide applicability to planetary-related problems. A comprehensive introduction to the dimensional analysis and constitutive laws that are necessary to discuss impact mechanics and cratering is first provided. Then, particular coverage is given to the impact of granular matter, which is one of the most crucial constituents for geophysics. While granular matter shows both solid-like and fluid-like behaviors, neither solid nor fluid dynamics is sufficient to fully understand the physics of granular matter. In order to reveal its fundamental properties, extensive impact tests have been carried out recently. The author reveals the findings of these recent studies as well as what remains unsolved in terms of impact dynamics. Impact crater morphology with various soft matter impacts also is discussed intensively. Various experimental and observational results up to the recent Itokawa asteroid’s terrain and nanocrater are reviewed and explained mainly by dimensional analysis. The author discusses perspectives of the relation between soft matter physics and planetary science, because it is an important step towards unifying physics and planetary science, in both of which fields crater morphology has been studied independently.