Melting a Granular Glass by Cooling

Driven granular systems readily form glassy phases at high particle volume fractions and low driving amplitudes. We use computer simulations of a driven granular glass to evidence a reentrance melting transition into a fluid state, which, contrary to intuition, occurs by reducing the amplitude of the driving. This transition is accompanied by anomalous particle dynamics and superdiffusive behavior on intermediate time scales. We highlight the special role played by frictional interactions, which help particles to escape their glassy cages. Such an effect is in striking contrast to what friction is expected to do: reduce particle mobility by making them stick. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.078001