Radial segregation patterns in rotating granular mixtures: Waviness selection

We model the radial segregation patterns that form in a thin rotating drum partially filled with beads of two sizes. We predict that the waviness (or amplitude-to-wavelength ratio, denoted w) of a pattern should be subjected to low-pass filtering with a cutoff waviness w(c) that depends strongly on the fill level of the drum. Then we perform experiments and find that wless than or equal tow(c) for all patterns, in accord with our prediction. We also find that w=w(c) for (and only for) steady patterns, and conclude that the waviness of a steady pattern is selected by the low-pass filtering.