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News Release 05-210
Physicists Describe a New "Fluid" State of Matter
Jets are made of powder and air, yet behave like an ultra-cold fluid
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This sequence of images compares how granular jets behave at atmospheric pressure and in a vacuum. In the top row, images a-c are frames from a high-speed video of a granular jet produced by the impact of a heavy sphere at atmospheric pressure. In the bottom row, images d-f are frames from a high-speed video of the jet at reduced pressure. Air compressed between the sand grains provides most of the energy that drives the jet, according to scientists at the University of Chicago.
Credit: Heinrich Jaeger, University of Chicago
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