Observations of imposed ordered structures in a dusty plasma at high magnetic field

Journal Article · Sun Mar 15 00:00:00 EDT 2015 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4914089· OSTI ID:22408171

Thomas, Edward; Lynch, Brian; Konopka, Uwe ^[1]; Merlino, Robert L. ^[2]; Rosenberg, Marlene ^[3]

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1. Physics Department, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama 36849 (United States)
2. Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242 (United States)
3. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California–San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093 (United States)

Dusty plasmas have been studied in argon, rf glow discharge plasmas at magnetic fields up to 2 T, where the electrons and ions are strongly magnetized. In this experiment, plasmas are generated between two parallel plate electrodes where the lower, powered electrode is solid and the upper, electrically floating electrode supports a semi-transparent, titanium mesh. We report on the formation of an ordered dusty plasma, where the dust particles form a spatial structure that is aligned to the mesh. We discuss possible mechanisms that may lead to the formation of the “dust grid” and point out potential implications and applications of these observations.

• OSTI ID: 22408171
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 22, Issue 3; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
ARGON
DUSTS
ELECTRODES
ELECTRONS
GLOW DISCHARGES
IONS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
PLASMA
TITANIUM