Wet granular matter: a truly complex fluid

Abstract

Having been of major concern only for process engineering a decade ago, wet granular matter has recently made its way into the realm of fundamental research. This owes in part to the fact that it joins conceptual simplicity of its microscopic interactions with experimental accessibility. It thus combines substantial technological relevance with basic science, providing a promising model system for the study of collective phenomena far from thermal equilibrium. This paper tries to provide the reader with an overview of the latest developments in the lively field of research on this novel member in the soft-matter genre.