A. V. Ivlev

Fluid-solid phase transitions in three-dimensional complex plasmas under microgravity conditions

Phase behavior of large three-dimensional (3D) complex plasma systems under microgravity conditions onboard the International Space Station is investigated. The neutral gas pressure is used as a control parameter to trigger phase changes. Detailed analysis of structural properties and evaluation of three different melting-freezing indicators reveal that complex plasmas can exhibit melting by increasing the gas pressure. Theoretical estimates of complex plasma parameters allow us to identify main factors responsible for the observed behavior. The location of phase states of the investigated systems on a relevant equilibrium phase diagram is estimated. Important differences between the melting process of 3D complex plasmas under microgravity conditions and that of flat 2D complex plasma crystals in ground based experiments are discussed.

Hybrid approach to the ion drag force

A detailed calculation of the ion drag force acting on a single grain in a collisionless Maxwellian plasma with an arbitrary velocity of the ion flow is carried out. The traditional binary collision approach to the problem is combined with the linear kinetic formalism. It is shown that for a pointlike particle the binary collision approach yields correct results provided that the effective plasma screening length is chosen appropriately. The correct choice follows from the self-consistent kinetic theory. On the other hand, the binary collision approach accounts consistently for the effects of finite grain size and grain charging. Taking these effects into account an expression for the ion drag force is obtained. Calculations are performed for a typical (exemplary) set of complex plasma parameters. The relevance for recent complex plasma experiments is briefly discussed.

Acoustic modes in a collisional dusty plasma

The acoustic modes in a collisional dusty plasma are studied, taking into account the influence of ion–neutral collisions, ion drag, and neutral friction. It is assumed that the frequency of ion–neutral collisions is greater than the frequency of ion–dust collisions. Two limiting cases of short-wavelength and long-wavelength modes are considered separately, depending on the ratio of the dust–ion acoustic frequency to the frequency of ion–neutral collisions. It is shown that for the long wavelengths coupling between the modes becomes strong, causing the appearance of the hybrid long-wavelength mode. It is also found that in the long-wavelength case there are two types of instability caused by ionization. The theoretical results are compared with the data obtained in experiments with growing particles.

Direct observation of mode-coupling instability in two-dimensional plasma crystals.

Dedicated experiments on melting of two-dimensional plasma crystals were carried out. The melting was always accompanied by spontaneous growth of the particle kinetic energy, suggesting a universal plasma-driven mechanism underlying the process. By measuring three principal dust-lattice wave modes simultaneously, it is unambiguously demonstrated that the melting occurs due to the resonance coupling between two of the dust-lattice modes. The variation of the wave modes with the experimental conditions, including the emergence of the resonant (hybrid) branch, reveals exceptionally good agreement with the theory of mode-coupling instability.

Vertical pairing of identical particles suspended in the plasma sheath.

It is shown experimentally that vertical pairing of two identical microspheres suspended in the sheath of a radio-frequency (rf) discharge at low gas pressures (a few Pa) appears at a well-defined instability threshold of the rf power. The transition is reversible, but with significant hysteresis on the second stage. A simple model which uses measured microsphere resonance frequencies and takes into account, in addition to the Coulomb interaction between negatively charged microspheres, their interaction with positive-ion-wake charges, seems to explain the instability threshold quite well.

Potential around a charged dust particle in a collisional sheath

By employing a self-consistent kinetic approach, an analytical expression is derived for the potential of a test charge in a weakly ionized plasma with ion drift. The drift is assumed to be due to an external electric field, with the velocity being mobility-limited and much larger than the thermal velocity of neutrals. The derived expression is proven to be in excellent agreement with the measurements by Konopka et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 891 (2000)] performed in the sheath region of a rf discharge.

Externally excited planar dust acoustic shock waves in a strongly coupled dusty plasma under microgravity conditions

The formation and dissipation of an externally excited planar dust acoustic shock wave in a three-dimensional uniform dust cloud has been observed under microgravity conditions. The experiment has been performed in the dc gas discharge chamber ?Plasma Kristall-4? (Fortov et al 2005 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 47 B537) on board the A300 Zero-G airplane. The shock Mach number and compression factor reached 3.5 and 6, correspondingly, with a shock width of about the interparticle distance. Due to the utilization of the polarity-switching dc discharge mode and application of the Rankine?Hugoniot relations, the dust particle electrostatic pressure was determined and the Hugoniot percussive adiabat for the dust subsystem was derived. The obtained data were simulated using thermodynamic properties of highly nonideal Debye?H?ckel (Yukawa) systems. Comparison of the experimental and simulated data has demonstrated that the screening length in a dense dusty plasma is not determined by the total ion number density, but rather by those ?effective? ions which are not bounded by negatively charged dust grains. Thus, this work presents a new experimental approach for the investigation of the dense dusty plasma clouds.

Scattering in the attractive Yukawa potential: application to the ion-drag force in complex plasmas

Scattering in the attractive screened Coulomb (Yukawa) potential is investigated. The momentum-transfer cross section is numerically calculated and analytical approximations are presented. The results are applied to estimate the ion-drag force acting on an isolated micron-sized grain in low-pressure bulk plasmas.

Wave mode coupling due to plasma wakes in two-dimensional plasma crystals: In-depth view

Experiments with two-dimensional (2D) plasma crystals are usually carried out in rf plasma sheaths, where the interparticle interactions are modified due to the presence of plasma wakes. The wake-mediated interactions result in the coupling between wave modes in 2D crystals, which can trigger the mode-coupling instability and cause melting. The theory predicts a number of distinct fingerprints to be observed upon the instability onset, such as the emergence of a new hybrid mode, a critical angular dependence, a mixed polarization, and distinct thresholds. In this paper we summarize these key features and provide their detailed discussion, analyze the critical dependence on experimental parameters, and highlight the outstanding issues.

Mode-coupling instability of two-dimensional plasma crystals

The dispersion relations for three principal wave modes sustained in two-dimensional (2D) plasma crystals are derived taking into account particle-wake interactions. The rigorous analysis of the mode coupling shows that if the normalized frequency of the vertical confinement is below a certain critical value, then resonance coupling between the longitudinal in-plane mode and out-of-plane mode sets in. This results in the emergence of a hybrid mode and drives the mode-coupling instability. The universal dependence of the critical confinement frequency on plasma parameters is calculated, which allows us to specify the conditions when stable 2D plasma crystals can be formed in experiments.