Optically-Excited Waves in 3D Dusty Plasmas John Goree The University of Iowa
plasma = electrons + ions What is a dusty plasma? Debye shielding small particle of solid matter becomes negatively charged absorbs electrons and ions
Solar system Rings of Saturn Comet tails Fundamental science Coulomb crystals Waves Manufacturing Particle contamination (Si wafer processing) Nanomaterial synthesis Who cares about dusty plasmas?
Forces Acting on a Particle Coulomb QE Other forces: Gas drag Ion drag Thermophoresis Radiation Pressure Gravity mg
Electrostatic trapping of particles Equipotential contours electrode positive potential electrode With gravity, particles sediment to high-field region 2-D layer Without gravity, particles fill 3-D volume QE mg
polymer microspheres 8 m diameter Particles separation a 0.5 mm charge Q e
Same: Coulomb repulsion Crystals Different: Dusty plasma has much lower damping rate wave propagation is easier Comparison to Colloidal Suspensions
2D physics: Ground-based 3D physics: Flight Experiments described in this talk
triangular lattice with hexagonal symmetry 2D lattice Yukawa inter-particle potential
Two modes in a lattice
Dispersion relations in 2D triangular lattice Wang et al. PRL 2001 =0,
Setup
scanning mirror Scanning mirror Ar laser beam
Longitudinal wave 4mm k Laser incident here f = 1.8 Hz
Random particle motion No Laser! = compression + shear 4mm Nunomura et al. PRL 2002
Phonon spectrum & sinusoidally-excited waves Nunomura et al. PRL 2002
Mach cones
Mach cone angle C = U Sin U
Lateral wake Transverse Wake Ship’s wake
water air Wake pattern is determined by dispersion relation Mach cone Lateral & transverse wakes Has both features: Mach Cone Lateral & transverse wakes plasma crystal
Mach cone excitation V/C L = 1.17
Mach cone + lateral wakes Nosenko et al. PRL 2002
3D physics Microgravity
Predecessor microgravity experiments Sounding rockets Morfill et al., PRL – 2002 ISS - PKE
PKE vacuum chamber Cameras for imaging particles Laser sheets for illuminating particles
imaging cameras cw Nd-YAG laser (manipulation) galvanometer scanning mirror diode laser (for imaging) shown in a mid-deck locker:plasma chamber & optics not shown: gas/vacuum, power, data Flight hardware concept for optically-excited waves in 3D dusty plasmas