V. Nosenko

Shear Flows and Shear Viscosity in a Two-Dimensional Yukawa System (Dusty Plasma)

The shear viscosity of a two-dimensional liquid-state dusty plasma was measured experimentally. A monolayer of highly charged polymer microspheres, with a Yukawa interaction, was suspended in a plasma sheath. Two counterpropagating Ar+ laser beams pushed the particles, causing shear-induced melting of the monolayer and a shear flow in a planar Couette configuration. By fitting the particle velocity profiles in the shear flow to a Navier-Stokes model, the kinematic viscosity was calculated; it was of order 1 mm(2) s(-1), depending on the monolayers parameters and shear stress applied.

Radiation pressure and gas drag forces on a melamine-formaldehyde microsphere in a dusty plasma

Measurements are reported for the radiation pressure and gas drag forces acting on a single melamine-formaldehyde microsphere. The radiation pressure force coefficient q, which would be unity if all incident photons were absorbed, has the value q=0.94±0.11. For argon, the Epstein gas drag force coefficient δ, which would be unity if impinging molecules underwent specular reflection, has the value δ=1.26±0.13 as measured with our single-particle laser acceleration method, or δ=1.44±0.19 as measured using the vertical resonance method.

Laser method of heating monolayer dusty plasmas

A method has been developed to heat and control temperature in a two-dimensional monolayer dusty plasma. A monolayer of highly charged polymer microspheres was suspended in a plasma sheath. The microspheres interacted with a Yukawa potential and formed a triangular lattice. Laser manipulation was used to apply random kicks to the particles. Two focused laser beams were moved rapidly around drawing Lissajous figures in the monolayer. The kinetic temperature of the particles increased with the laser power applied, and above a threshold a melting transition was observed. Characteristics of a thermal equilibrium of the laser-heated dusty plasma in solid and liquid states are discussed.

Acceleration and orbits of charged particles beneath a monolayer plasma crystal

Experiments and simulations are reported for a monolayer plasma crystal that is disturbed by an extra particle moving in a plane below the monolayer. Numerical simulations and experiments are performed to find an explanation for the motion of the extra particle. In contrast to earlier simulations where an extra particle did not move spontaneously as in the experiment, here an ion wakefield downstream of the monolayer of particles is included. This resulted in the spontaneous motion of an extra particle as in the experiment, so that it is concluded that the wakefield produces this motion. In both the experiment and the simulation a trend is observed where the orbit of an extra particle becomes more crooked and less energetic when the gas damping is stronger. The simulation reveals that the energy of the extra particle exhibits distinctive transitions between three regimes.

Laser-excited shear waves in solid and liquid two-dimensional dusty plasmas

The propagation of transverse waves in a two-dimensional particle suspension in a plasma is studied in the solid and liquid phase. The different states of the suspension are realized by raising the kinetic temperature of the dust particles with a new laser method. An additional laser beam is used to excite shear waves and the wave is observed by videomicroscopy in terms of the individual velocities of the dust particles. For recovering the spatial wave patterns the method of singular value decomposition is applied and compared with the method of spatial Fourier analysis of complex wave numbers. In the solid phase, weakly damped waves are found which follow the expected dispersion relation. In the liquid phase the existence of strongly damped waves is demonstrated. The real part of the wave number is in overall agreement with the predictions of the Quasi Localized Charge Approximation model for a two-dimensional system. The damping of the waves is discussed.

Waves and oscillations in plasma crystals

An overview of the properties of plasma crystals and clusters is given with emphasis on oscillations of particles in the plasma trap, instabilities associated with the solid–liquid phase transition and the propagation of waves. It is demonstrated how laser manipulation can be used to stimulate particle motion and waves. From characteristic resonance frequencies and from wave dispersion the particle charge and shielding length parameters, which determine the interparticle forces, can be quantitatively measured.

Dynamical Phase Transition in Dust Crystals

Experiments and simulations are reported for a monolayer plasma crystal that is disturbed by an extra particle moving in a plane below the monolayer. Numerical simulations and experiments are performed to find an explanation for the motion of the extra particle. The simulations take into account the ion wakefield downstream of the monolayer of particles, in the presence of ion flow. In the experiment, the orbit is straight at low gas pressures, but with higher damping it is crooked and less energetic. The same trend is observed in the simulations, supporting a conclusion that the wakefield is responsible for the particle acceleration. The simulation reveals that the energy of the extra particle exhibits distinctive transitions, between three regimes.

Experiments and Simulation of Elastic Waves in a Plasma Crystal Radiated from a Point‐Dipole‐Source

A localized elastic deformation in the plane of a 2D plasma crystal is generated by a short laser pulse. The perturbed region simultaneously radiates compressional and shear waves. The decomposition of the complex wave pattern into the fundamental wave types is achieved by calculating the divergence and vorticity of the instantaneous vector velocity map. The shear waves form two vortex‐antivortex pairs, which are known as the lowest modes of excitation in finite Yukawa clusters. The higher dispersion of the compressional waves leads to the formation of a wave train. The angular intensity distribution of the two wave types corresponds to two orthogonal dipole sources. Molecular dynamics simulations closely confirm these experimental results.