Optical scanning of dusty 3D-structures formed in a glow discharge

3D-quasi-crystals formed in strata of a glow discharge are scanned in the optical range with the help of a moving laser knife and high-speed videorecording. The spatial positions of dusty grains are determined. The ordering of structures and the type of arrangement of particles are determined from a comparison of pair correlation functions constructed for the structures under study with correlation functions corresponding to ideal crystalline structures. Several types of unit cells are found through the visual collation of separate parts of structures. As compared to data from the literature on experiments in a high-frequency discharge, the structures under study have a clearly pronounced anisotropy.