Research
Granular Matter Carries Hidden Memory
feeds.aps.org · By Ryan Wilkinson ·
The Brief
- The anomalous Kovacs effect, a memory phenomenon, has been experimentally observed in a granular system for the first time.
- The report is published in APS Physics as Physics 19, s141, by Ryan Wilkinson, dated November 10, 2026.
Why it matters
It shows that granular materials can retain a memory of their earlier state, a behaviour previously studied mainly in glassy systems, which may inform how physicists model disordered and granular matter.
Who’s affected
- physicists studying granular and disordered materials
- researchers in non-equilibrium statistical physics
- #granular matter
- #kovacs effect
- #memory effects
- #non-equilibrium physics
- #soft matter
Author(s): Ryan Wilkinson A memory phenomenon known as the anomalous Kovacs effect has been experimentally observed in a granular system for the first time. [Physics 19, s141] Published Tue Nov 10, 2026
Timeline
Anomalous Kovacs effect reported as experimentally observed in a granular system (APS Physics 19, s141)
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Granular Matter Carries Hidden Memory