Nonlocal elasticity near jamming

Abstract

We demonstrate that the elasticity of jammed solids is nonlocal. By forcing frictionless soft sphere packings at varying wavelength, we directly access their transverse and longitudinal compliances without resorting to curve fitting. The observed wavelength dependence of the compliances is incompatible with classical (local) elasticity, and hence quantifies the amplitude of nonlocal effects. Three distinct length scales, two of which diverge, control the amplitude of both nonlocal effects and fluctuations about the mean response. Our results identify new, more accurate constitutive relations for weakly jammed solids, including emulsions, foams, and granulates.