Influence of gas pressure on the pattern evolutions of dust clusters and fractals in a dusty plasma system

Dusty plasma has been produced through chemical reaction in a capacitively coupled radio frequency (rf) discharge system. Dust clusters with a few particles and dust fractals are observed. As gas pressure is increased, the suspended height of dust particles descends and the average interparticle distance decreases accordingly. The influence of gas pressure on the pattern evolutions is investigated. Dust clusters or fractals not only can evolve regularly on a horizontal plane, but also can evolve from a horizontal plane to a vertical line array. Under appropriate conditions, the evolutions are reversible. When the evolution is from a symmetrical pattern with a centre particle to another pattern, the centre particle will first show its unsteadiness.     

反应等离子体中尘埃空洞形成的实验研究

利用气体合成（乙烯和硅烷，氩气是载气）的方法，产生尘埃粒子，并在此基础上研究了悬 浮在射频等离子体鞘层上方的尘埃云及尘埃空洞.实验结果给出了尘埃云和尘埃空洞与射频 功率和气压等参数的关系曲线. 关键词： 尘埃等离子体 尘埃空洞 尘埃云     

The relation between lattice-parameter and particle size in ZnS:Cu Phosphor

The effect of particle size on life time in electroluminescent phosphor was investigated using fractionated samples. The life time of large-particle size phosphors was longer than that of small-particle size phosphor. It was found that particle size has a close relation with the lattice-parameter magnitude; the lattice parameter was larger in a small-particle size phosphor when the activator and coactivator content were the same. It was concluded that the lattice parameter was an important brightness life-time factor.     

Dust eruptions by photophoresis and solid state greenhouse effects

We carried out experiments that show a gas pressure dependent ability of light to eject particles from a dust bed. Dust eruptions also occur upon removal of the light source. This can be attributed to a solid state greenhouse effect and photophoretic forces. This ejection mechanism works at light intensities larger than 6 kW/m2 but in extreme cases might work as low as 1 kW/m2. It can be applied to sunlit dust on Mars where it aids or triggers dust lift-off from the surface into the atmosphere. It is of importance for dusty bodies at the inner edge of protoplanetary disks where it leads to light induced erosion. The effect also offers a base for technical applications of dust removal in low pressure environments.     

Physics of size selectivity

We demonstrate that two mechanisms used by biological ion channels to select particles by size are driven by entropy. With uncharged particles in an infinite cylinder, we show that a channel that attracts particles is small-particle selective and that a channel that repels water from the wall is large-particle selective. Comparing against the extensive density-functional theory calculations of our model, we find that the main physics can be understood with surprisingly simple bulk models that neglect the confining geometry of the channel completely.     

Dust vortices, clouds, and jets in nuclear-induced plasmas

The collective movement of dust particles in a plasma formed during deceleration of decay products of californium nuclei in neon is investigated experimentally. For the first time, compact vortex structures containing a large number of coagulating dust particles and dense dust clouds evolving in time are observed. Dust formations have clearly defined boundaries and particles in them form ordered liquid-type structures. Under steady-state conditions, dust structures exist from several minutes to hours. An increase in the voltage applied to the high-voltage electrode leads to the formation of dust particle jets. A change in the electric field configuration transforms the structures from one type to another. A strong recombination of electrons and ions at dust particles is observed. The momentum transfer from ions drifting in an external field to gas molecules is studied using the Monte Carlo method. It is shown that the transferred momentum is so large that it may cause a gas flow. The characteristic features of vortex flow in neon and in air are explained.     

悬浮RDX炸药粉尘爆轰的数值模拟

用两相流模型对悬浮RDX炸药粉尘爆轰波进行了数值模拟。RDX炸药颗粒在爆轰波阵面后的高温高速气流中加速并升温,颗粒表面发生熔化。参考液滴在高速气流作用下剥离的效应,假设炸药熔化部分在高速气流的作用下发生剥离,破碎成极小的颗粒,瞬时发生分解反应,释放出能量支持爆轰波传播。数值模拟了在不同粒径和浓度的悬浮RDX炸药粉尘中爆轰波的发展与传播过程,得到了爆轰波流场中气-固两相的物理量分布,并确定了爆轰波参数。在较低的RDX粉尘浓度条件下,爆轰波阵面压力的峰值曲线出现振荡。当RDX粉尘浓度在80~150 g/m3时,数值模拟得到的爆轰波阵面压力峰值曲线的振荡是规则的;当RDX粉尘浓度为70 g/m3时,爆轰波阵面压力峰值曲线出现不规则振荡。     

Observation of laser-pulse-induced traveling microbubbles in dusty plasma liquids

We report a direct experimental observation of traveling microbubbles induced by intense laser pulses in strongly coupled dusty plasma liquids. The dense plasma ablated from a suspended dust particle generates a spherical plasma bubble with a low dust density, in the quiescent regime before a transition to self-organized longitudinal dust density waves. It travels downwards at a velocity about 6 cm/sec inside the dust liquid. Dust density fluctuations trailing the bubble are also observed. The bubble generated in the high pressure dissipative regime collapses right after formation.     

Simulation of Dust Particle Trajectories in an Electrostatic Probe with the Purpose of Increasing Its Efficiency

Formation of dust particles and clusters is observed in almost all modern fusion devices. Accumulation of dust in next-generation thermonuclear installations can significantly affect plasma parameters and lead to accumulation of unacceptably large amounts of tritium. The use of a specially developed electrostatic probe is planned in the international thermonuclear experimental reactor ITER to collect dust for further analysis. The article describes a numerical model of movement of dust particles in an electrostatic probe. Dust particle trajectories inside the probe are analyzed. Several electrostatic probe design modifications are proposed on the basis of the analysis in order to increase the efficiency of dust collection.     

The influence of dust particle geometry on its charge and plasma potential

In this paper, a self‐consistent numerical model describing the behaviour of plasma around isolated highly charged dust particles with different shapes of rotation figures is presented. Dust particles in the form of a sphere, oblate ellipsoids (disk‐like particles), and elongated ellipsoids (rod‐like particles) are considered in the presence of an external electric field. Using the developed model, self‐consistent distributions of a space charge and plasma potential are obtained around non‐spherical dust particles. These distributions are carefully analysed by decomposing them in a series of Legendre polynomials. Decompositions of these distributions are compared with particles of different geometry. In addition, for different geometries of dust particles, the dependencies of the charge of a dust particle on geometry in the absence of an external field are investigated.     

Light scattering by large Saharan dust particles: Comparison of modeling and experimental data for two samples

Light scattering by large mineral-dust particles with small-scale surface roughness is investigated by comparing model simulations with laboratory-measured scattering matrices of two distinct dust samples collected from the Sahara desert. The samples have been chosen on the basis of their large effective radii, and the simulations are based on their measured size distributions. Size parameters larger than about 30 are modeled using a modified ray-optics model RODS (Ray optics with diffuse and specular interactions), while smaller particles are simulated with a T-matrix model. RODS allows us to mimic the surface roughness of large dust particles by covering the particle surface by a thin layer of external scatterers with specific single-scattering properties. The Gaussian-random-sphere geometry is used for the shapes of large dust particles. Small particles are modeled as an axial-ratio distribution of spheroids with smooth surfaces. One of the samples consists wholly of large particles and its scattering matrix can be reproduced very well by the RODS model, except for the phase function. The incorporation of wavelength-scale roughness is, however, necessary for good fits. The other sample, consisting of both small and large particles, proves more challenging to match with simulations. The analysis indicates, however, that the difficulties arise at least partially from the small-particle contribution, while RODS results are consistent with the measurements. Further, the results imply that the agreement with measurements would improve if roughness could also be accounted for in the small-particle simulations. Overall, the RODS method seems promising for modeling the optical properties of mineral-dust particles much larger than the wavelength.     

Collective Electrostatic Interaction of Particles in a Complex Plasma with Ion Flow

Linearized electrostatic potential of a test charge in a complex (dusty) plasma with ion flow is found. Dust component is treated as a continuous medium. Positions of dust particles are assumed to be fixed (unperturbed by the test charge). Calculations are performed using the static dielectric response function found in the framework of the fluid model. The model includes ion loss and ion creation caused respectively by absorption on dust particles and ionization. Dust charge variations and friction force on ions (ion‐neutral and ion‐dust friction) are also present in the model. The main point of the paper is the potential distribution in the plane containing the test charge and oriented perpendicular to the ion flow. The possibility of the electrostatic attraction of two same sign charges in the plane perpendicular to the ion flow is investigated. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

固体粒子在直流式除尘器中湍流脉动的数值模拟

本文对直流除尘器涡室内固体粒子的湍流脉动现象进行了数值分析,通过气体速度随机脉动谱,把气相湍流运动对固体粒子运动的影响引入粒子的运动平衡方程中,用拉格朗日法模拟了粒子的轨迹及其扩散运动,应用四阶龙科库塔方法求解粒子的运动方程。计算结果表明对粒子的数值模拟可以较好地预测除尘器的性能,如除尘器的切割粒径。     

A kinetics study of vacancy cluster evolution under VVER-type reactor condition

The vacancy clusters (VC) evolution in the neutron-irradiated VVER-type reactor pressure vessel steels is investigated, beginning at the nucleation stage and finishing in the coarsening stage. For this, characteristic VVER-type reactor conditions are considered. VC evolution in the nucleation stage is analysed on the basis of the computer simulation data. During the deterministic and the coarsening stage, elastic interaction between iron matrix and VC is accounted, that provides the stability of the peak of the size distribution function under the condition of increasing neutron fluence in correspondence to the experiments. The results are compared with the results of SANS experiments which were carried out on specimens irradiated at surveillance positions of VVER reactors. The presented approach may be used for analyses of the small inhomogeneities (about 1 nm) in the irradiated damage structure of the VVER-type steels.     

Kinetic temperature and charge of a dust grain in weakly ionized gas-discharge plasmas

Analytical relations are given for estimating the energy of the stochastic motion of an individual dust grain heated by electrostatic ion oscillations in a weakly ionized gas-discharge plasma. Dust grain charging processes are analyzed, and an empirical approximation is obtained for the ion current to the grain surface. The processes are simulated under conditions similar to those of laboratory experiments on dusty plasmas. It is found that the kinetic temperature of a dust grain heated by electrostatic ion oscillations in a gas-discharge plasma can exceed the background gas temperature.     

Dynamic Dust Particle Confinement in Corona Discharge Plasma

Usually electrostatic fields created by electrodes of the trap are used for dust particle confinement in plasma devices. In this work the possibility of the dust particle confinement by electrodynamic fields is investigated for improved quadrupole traps. The behavior of dust particles is simulated by Brownian dynamics. Dust particle parameters and parameters of the traps needed for dust particle confinement have been obtained (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

等离子体增强化学气相沉积中对尘埃颗粒诊断

采用SiH4,C2H4和Ar在射频容性耦合柱状放电室中产生了尘埃颗粒,利用发射光谱测得射频尘埃等离子体放电室中的一些基本碎片的发射光谱,并给出了这些碎片的光发射强度随着实验条件变化的曲线。随着功率和气压的增加,碎片的光发射强度逐步增加,尤其是随功率增加得更快,这说明功率对硅烷和乙烯的离解作用明显。随着硅烷和乙烯流量的增加,碎片的光发射强度随之下降。利用朗缪尔探针的实验结果得出尘埃密度的变化趋势,给出了尘埃密度随射频功率变化的曲线,其结果与硅烷和乙烯的离解变化趋势基本吻合。     

Analysis of gas-phase condensation of nickel nanoparticles

Gas-phase condensation of 8000 nickel atoms is examined by molecular dynamics simulation with a tight-binding potential. A detailed study of the evolution of the system cooled at a constant rate from 1000 K to 77 K is presented. The results are used to identify four distinct stages of the evolution from a hot atomic gas to a few synthesized particles. An analysis of possible nanoparticle formation mechanisms suggests that cluster-cluster aggregation is the dominant one. The simulation shows that there two stages of cluster formation are of primary importance with regard to aggregation. At the first stage, spherical liquid clusters nucleate with uniform size distribution. The second stage is characterized by a distinct transition from uniform to bimodal size distribution due to aggregation of relatively large clusters. The particles obtained by gas-phase synthesis are analyzed by the CNA method [25]. It is found that most nanoparticles produced in the simulation have either icosahedral or mixed FCC/HCP structure.     

Effects of the System Temperature on Dust Cluster Formation in Plasma

Effects of the system temperature on dust aggregation in plasmas are investigated using two‐dimensional molecular dynamics simulations. It is shown that as the system temperature increases, the boundary of the clusters becomes gradually irregular (i.e., deviating from sphere‐like), and the cluster system gradually changes from solid to liquid and finally to gas state. The mean square displacement, mean nearest‐neighbor distance in the clusters, cluster size and coupling parameter of the system are obtained and the properties of the system structure and dynamics are investigated. The time τ needed for reaching equilibrium for different temperatures is obtained. It is shown that τ firstly decreases and then increases with the temperature, indicating that there is an optimum temperature allowing a dust aggregation to reach an equilibrium state most rapidly. The simulation results agree qualitatively with the experimental observations. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)