Granular temperature profiles in three-dimensional vibrofluidized granular beds

The motion of grains in a three-dimensional vibrofluidized granular bed has been measured using the technique of positron emission particle tracking, to provide three-dimensional packing fraction and granular temperature distributions. The mean square fluctuation velocity about the mean was calculated through analysis of the short time mean squared displacement behavior, allowing measurement of the granular temperature at packing fractions of up to eta similar to 0.15. The scaling relationship between the granular temperature, the number of layers of grains, and the base velocity was determined. Deviations between the observed scaling exponents and those predicted by recent theories are attributed to the influence of dissipative grain-sidewall collisions.