Dusty Plasmas

Abstract

Plasmas with embedded nano or microparticles (“dust”) play an important role in astrophysics and in technical plasmas. The dust particles are electrically charged, which gives the dust subsystem interesting new properties. Depending on the coupling parameter, it can attain gaseous, liquid and solid phases. Dusty plasmas show collective behavior in terms of dust density waves in the gaseous state, or two types of phonons in the crystalline state. This chapter addresses the new physics introduced by microparticles carrying ten-thousands of elementary charges, such as plasma crystallization, charge variability, orbital motion of ions in the field of dust particles, and attractive forces by ion wakes.

“You boil it in sawdusts: you salt it in glue:

You condense it with locusts and tape:

Still keeping one principle object in view—

to preserve its symmetrical shape.”

Lewis Carroll, The Hunting of the Snark