Jeans-Buneman instability in a dusty plasma

A self consistent formulation of the Jeans instability of a dusty plasma with proper inclusion of charge dynamics is described. It is shown that charge fluctuations significantly affect the Jeans as well as the Buneman mode. For plasma particles (electrons and ions) in local thermal equilibrium, the Jeans lengthλ _J is given byλ _J≈λ _g F(R, ε, β/η), whereλ _g is the Debye length of the charged grains,R is the square of the ratio of the Jeans to the plasma frequency of the grains,ε is the square of the ratio of the Debye length of the grains and the plasma particles andβ/η is the ratio of the attachment to the decay frequency of the electronic charges to the grain surface. The functional form ofF is given in the text. Numerical investigation of the Jeans-Buneman mode for a two and three component plasma shows that the Jeans mode dominates atkλ _D≪1 (wherek is the wave number andλ _D is the Debye length of plasma particles), whereas atkλ _D≫1 only the Buneman mode operates. Charge fluctuations reduce the area of overlap of the two modes. Furthermore, in the absence of gravity, there exists a new, charge fluctuation induced unstable mode in a streaming dusty plasma. Astrophysical applications of the results are discussed.     

Crystallization waves in a dusty plasma

Crystallization waves in the dusty component of a complex plasma, which were recently observed experimentally, have been investigated numerically. The evolution of the system of charged microparticles whose interaction between each other is described by a screened Coulomb potential (Yukawa potential) has been numerically simulated using the molecular dynamics method. It has been shown that the process of the formation and propagation of a crystallization wave in such a system is fundamentally three-dimensional. Analysis of the local structure of dust particles behind the crystallization wave front indicates the coexistence of different types of the crystal lattice including the metastable phase, i.e., a nonequilibrium phase transition.     

Acoustic modes in a dusty plasma

The propagation of the dust ion acoustic and dust acoustic modes in a dusty plasma is studied. The effect of the coupling of the charge fluctuation on the dust particles to the modes is taken into account self-consistently. It is found that the charge fluctuation leads to frequency down shift as well as dissipation of the modes. For the dust ion acoustic modes, these are significant only when the frequency characterizing the rate of capture of electrons by the dust particles in the equilibrium state is of the order of the frequency of the mode, and the mode can propagate without significant dissipation only when its frequency is well above this characteristic frequency. For the dust acoustic modes, these are significant only when the frequency characterizing the rate of capture of ions by the dust particles in the equilibrium state is of the order of the frequency of the mode, and the mode can propagate without significant dissipation only when its frequency is well above this characteristic frequency.     

Viscosity of a dusty plasma liquid

We present the results of our experimental study of the flow of a dusty plasma liquid produced by macroparticles in an argon plasma. The dependences of shear viscosity for such a liquid on the magnitude of the external force inducing the dusty plasma liquid flow and on the plasma-generating gas pressure are analyzed. We have established that the viscosity of a dusty plasma medium decreases with increasing shear stress in it, while the viscosity of such a liquid increases with buffer gas pressure. The flow of a dusty plasma liquid under the action of an external force has been found to resemble the plastic deformation of a Bingham body. We suggest that the formation of crystal-like dusty plasma clusters in a “liquid” phase can be responsible for the non-Newtonian behavior of the dusty plasma liquid flow.     

Thermal condensation mode in a dusty plasma

In the present work, the radiative condensation instability is investigated in the presence of dust charge fluctuations. We find that the charge variability of the grain reduces the growth rate of radiative mode only for fluctuation wavelength smaller or of the order of the Debye length and this reduction is not very large. Far from the Debye sphere, radiative mode can damp due to thermal conduction of electrons and ions     

Laser-particulate interactions in a dusty RF plasma

The interaction of particulates formed in an argon RF discharge containing 1-5% CCl₂F₂ admixture with a pulsed infrared laser (Nd:YAG, intensity ~10⁹ W m^-2, pulse duration ~10^-4 s) has been studied in situ. The white light emitted during this process has been monitored as a function of time and wavelength using a fast photo diode and an optical multichannel analyser. The spectra have been fitted with blackbody curves with a standard deviation of 5%. A spectral temperature of about 3500 K has been obtained for various plasma conditions and attributed to the decomposition temperature of the particulate material. A model based on laser heating, internal heat conduction and chemical decomposition is compared with the experimental results. This model predicts the time constants for heating and decomposition of the particulates and explains the dependence of the measured emission intensity on the laser intensity     

Wake potential in a self-gravitating dusty plasma

Using a test particle approach, the dynamical wake potential has been examined in a homogeneous self-gravitating dusty plasma. The periodic oscillatory potential might lead to an alternative approach to the Jeans instability for the formation of dust agglomeration leading to gravitational collapse of the self-gravitating systems.     

Supernonlinear ion-acoustic waves in a dusty plasma

An exact solution is obtained for the equations that describe nonlinear ion-acoustic waves in a dusty plasma. It is shown that the solution can be in the form of nonlinear periodic waves, solitons, and supernonlinear waves whose trajectories envelope one or several separatrices in the phase portrait of the wave. Profiles of physical quantities in the wave are constructed. The supernonlinear waves are shown to be of two types, subsonic (type 1) and supersonic (type 2). Existence regions of supernonlinear waves of both types and solitons are constructed in the plane of the problem parameters.     

Coagulation of charged particles in a dusty plasma

An investigation is made of characteristic features in the behavior of small particles in a dusty plasma attributable partly to the suppression of coagulation as a result of monopolar charging for particle sizes smaller than the Debye shielding length and partly to the reduction in the effect of charging for larger particles. Similarity relations linking the plasma composition and particle charge with the parameters of the dust component are used to determine the range of parameters for which the linear approximation of the particle charge as a function of their sizes holds. A modified classical theory of coagulation in the diffusion approximation is used to study some anomalies in the behavior of the particle size distribution. It is established that unlike an ordinary aerosol, in a dusty plasma the dispersion of the distribution and the average particle size may decrease with time. It is shown for the first time that a long-lived “quasi-liquid” state of a dusty plasma may be established as a result of the anomalous behavior of the size distribution function of coagulating charged particles.     

Rotation of a single vortex in dusty plasma

A single vortex is obtained in radio-frequency capacitive discharge in argon gas. The dust subsystem is confined in the horizontal plane with an asymmetrical saw structure placed on the lower electrode. The vortex rotates as a whole along the long side of the saw-teeth. Asymmetry of the saw structure plays an important role in the rotation of the vortex. Nonzero curl of the total force resulting from the local ion flow and the electric field in the plasma sheath could be attributed to the persistent rotation of vortex.     

Three-dimensional wake potential in a streaming dusty plasma

The oscillatory wake potential for a slowly moving or static test dust particulate in a finite temperature, collisionless and unmagnetized dusty plasma with a continuous flow of ions and dust particles has been studied. The collective resonant interaction of the moving test particle with the low-frequency and low-phase-velocity dust-acoustic mode is the origin of the periodic attractive force between the like polarity particulates along and perpendicular to the streaming ions and dust grains resulting into dust-Coulomb crystal formation. This wake potential can explain the three-dimensional dust-Coulomb crystal formation in the laboratory conditions.     

Dust acoustic waves in a nonequilibrium dusty plasma

With the use of the method of moments applicable for any values of the parameter of the nonideality of a dusty plasma and the hydrodynamic approach applicable only for small nonideality parameters, the theory of waves and oscillations of a complex plasma has been generalized to the case of a two-exponential interaction potential. It has been shown that the hydrodynamic approach and method of moments give the same dispersion relation for small nonideality parameters. It has been demonstrated that the velocity of dust acoustic waves in the long- and short-wavelength regions is determined by the small and large screening constants, respectively. It has been shown that the velocity of dust acoustic waves in nonequilibrium plasma is much higher than that obtained in the Debye screening theory for equilibrium plasma. In the hydrodynamic approach, the importance of the inclusion of the self-consistent mutual effect of the dust, electron, and ion components, and sinks of electrons and ions on dust particles, which lead to a noticeable change in the parameters of the interaction potential of dust particles, has been demonstrated.     

Ordered structures in a nonideal dusty glow-discharge plasma

The formation of ordered structures of charged macroparticles in a constant-current neon glow-discharge plasma is investigated. Experiments were performed with two types of particles: thin-walled glass spheres 50–63 μm in diameter and particles of Al₂O₃, 3–5 μm in diameter. Formation of quasicrystalline structures is observed in the standing strata and in an artificially created double electric layer. The formation of extended filamentary structures of macroparticles in the absence of visible stratification of the positive column has been observed for the first time. The influence of the discharge parameters on the formation of the ordered structures and their melting is examined. The form of the interaction potential between the charged macroparticles is considered, as well as changes in the conditions for maintaining the discharge in the presence of high concentrations of dust particles. Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 112, 2030–2044 (December 1997)     

Waves propagating along a density gradient in a dusty plasma

The waves propagating in the direction of a density gradient in a dusty plasma are analyzed. The analysis includes the recently predicted electrostatic dust Rossby mode that can develop in a rotating dusty plasma with charged grains, as well as waves in magnetized plasmas, and dust acoustic waves. The spatial behavior of the mode amplitude is determined for a few realistic plasma density profiles.     

Nonlinear acoustic waves in a collisional self-gravitating dusty plasma

Using the reductive perturbation method,we investigate the small amplitude nonlinear acoustic wave in a collisional self-gravitating dusty plasma.The result shows that the small amplitude dust acoustic wave can be expressed by a modified Korteweg-de Vries equation,and the nonlinear wave is instable because of the collisions between the neutral gas molecules and the charged particles.     

Shock waves in a rotating non-Maxwellian viscous dusty plasma

A theoretical model is presented to study the characteristics of dust acoustic shock in a viscous, magnetized, rotating dusty plasma at both fast and slow time scales. By employing the reductive perturbation technique, the non-linear Zakharov–Kuznetsov–Burger (ZKB) equation is derived for both cases when the dust is inactive and dynamic (fast and slow time scales). Both electrons and ions are considered to follow the kappa/Cairns distribution. It is observed that in both cases, i.e. when dust is in the background and active, viscosity plays a key role in dissipation for the propagation of acoustic shock. Magnetic field and rotation are responsible for the dispersive term. Superthermality is found to affect significantly the formation of the shock wave along with viscous nature of plasma, whereas the dust charge affects the non-linear coefficient of the ZKB equation. The present investigation may be beneficial to the understanding of the rotating plasma, in particular the experiments being carried out.