Probing creep motion in granular materials with light scattering

We describe a dynamic light scattering experiment designed in order to study creep motion in granular materials. This method is based on the recording of the speckle pattern with a charge coupled device (CCD) camera. The autocorrelation function of the scattered electric field is calculated and related to the displacement field of the beads. As an application, the measurement of the thermal expansion of a granular material subjected to temperature variations is presented.