Bouncing, rolling, energy flows, and cluster formation in a two-dimensional vibrated granular gas.

We study the formation of crystalline clusters for a two-dimensional (2D) sinusoidally vibrated granular gas, with maximum vertical acceleration smaller than gravity, using fully 3D simulations. It is found that this phenomenon arises from the spontaneous segregation of the granulate into two dynamical modes: one of grains that bounce in synchrony with the motion of the sustaining plate ("bouncers") and another of grains that cease to bounce and simply rolls on the plate, without ever loosing contact with it ("rollers"). These two dynamical categories are quite robust with respect to perturbations. The populations for bouncers and rollers depend on the preparation of the granulate and can be made to take arbitrary values in all the range of accelerations where both dynamical modes are present. It is found that the dynamical mode with the largest population coalesces in clusters under the influence of the other mode, whose grains act as a higher pressure gas that compresses the clusters. In this way it is possible to produce clusters of rollers or clusters of bouncers. A gas made of grains from only one dynamical class shows only weak density fluctuations. When the occupation fractions for both modes are similar, one observes segregation and clusters of both types. The clustering of the gas is monitored using both the average coordination number and the local hexatic order parameter ψ(6). Energy flows in the plane are monitored, and it is shown that roller-bouncer collisions increase horizontal kinetic energy, while all other types of collisions reduce this energy. We find that friction with the substrate is the main sink of horizontal energy for these granular gases.