An Analog Macroscopic Technique for Studying Molecular Hydrodynamic Processes in Dense Gases and Liquids

An experimentally accessible analog method for studying molecular hydrodynamic processes in dense fluids is presented. The technique uses particle image velocimetry of vibrated, high-restitution grain piles and allows direct, macroscopic observation of dynamical processes known and predicted to exist in strongly interacting, high density gases and liquids.