Irreversible dynamics of a massive intruder in dense granular fluids

A Generalized Langevin Equation with exponential memory is proposed for the dynamics of a massive intruder in a dense granular fluid. The model reproduces numerical correlation and response functions, violating the Equilibrium Fluctuation-Dissipation Relations. The source of memory is identified in the coupling of the tracer velocity V with a spontaneous local velocity field U in the surrounding fluid: fluctuations of this field introduce a new time scale with its associated length scale. Such identification allows us to measure the intruder's fluctuating entropy production as a function of V and U, obtaining a neat verification of the fluctuation relation. Copyright (C) EPLA, 2010