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Nature 451, 773-774 (14 February 2008) | doi:10.1038/451773a; Published online 13 February 2008

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Granular matter: Static in motion

Troy Shinbrot1 & Hans J. Herrmann1

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Wind-blown desert sands can charge up spontaneously. But although sand flow and the forces on charged bodies are well studied separately, surprisingly little is known of what happens when the two combine.

The strange things that happen when granular media and electrostatic charge mix have long exercised the minds of both scientists and engineers. In the latest episode in this saga, Kok and Renno, writing in Physical Review Letters1, focus on how static charges affect the aeolian — wind-borne — transport of sand.

  1. Troy Shinbrot and Hans J. Herrmann are at the Institut für Baustoffe, ETH-Zürich, Schafmattstrasse 6, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
    Email: hans@ifb.baug.ethz.ch

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Granular matter Static in motion

Nature News and Views (14 Feb 2008)