Imperfect pitchfork bifurcation in asymmetric two-compartment granular gas

The clustering behavior of a mono-disperse granular gas is experimentally studied in an asymmetric two-compartment setup. Unlike the random clustering in either compartment in the case of symmetric configuration when lowering the shaking strength to below a critical value, the directed clustering is observed, which corresponds to an imperfect pitchfork bifurcation. Numerical solutions of the flux equation using a modified simple flux function show qualitative agreements with the experimental results. The potential application of this asymmetric structure is discussed.