Interview for Faculty Position

Formation of a disordered solid from a loose granular pack

Mahesh Bandi

Harvard University

In this talk I will describe an experiment concerned with the compression of a bi-dispersed set of frictional disks that are birefringent (photo-elastic) under applied stress. By resorting to experimental signatures of global system pressure, individual disk displacements, and a topological analysis of disks in contact with each other, I will build a picture of how a disordered solid emerges from a loose granular pack under compression. I will then compare the experimental results with current theories on Granular Jamming and Rigidity Percolation.