  Motivated by recent advances in the investigation of fluctuation-driven
ratchets and flows in excited granular media, we have carried out experimental
and simulational studies to explore the horizontal transport of granular
particles in a vertically vibrated system whose base has a sawtooth-shaped
profile. The resulting material flow exhibits novel collective behavior, both
as a function of the number of layers of particles and the driving frequency;
in particular, under certain conditions, increasing the layer thickness leads
to a reversal of the current, while the onset of transport as a function of
frequency occurs gradually in a manner reminiscent of a phase transition. Our
experimental findings are interpreted here with the help of extensive, event
driven Molecular Dynamics simulations. In addition to reproducing the
experimental results, the simulations revealed that the current may be reversed
as a function of the driving frequency as well. We also give details about the
simulations so that similar numerical studies can be carried out in a more
straightforward manner in the future.
