Berlin 2001 – scientific programme

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P: Plasmaphysik

P 7: Dusty Plasmas, Diagnostics III

P 7.1: Talk

Thursday, April 5, 2001, 16:30–16:45, 2032

Non-linear vertical oscillations of particles in dusty plasmas — •Ciprian Zafiu, Andre Melzer, and Alexander Piel — Institut für Experimentelle und Angewandte Physik, Christian Albrechts Universität Kiel, 24098 Kiel, Germany

In typical RF plate discharges, micrometric particles are trapped because of the balance of the electric and gravitational forces. The electric field structure of the plasma and the charge of the trapped particle are crucial parameters of the complex plasmas. A standard method of measurement of these parameters is the excitation of vertical oscillations of micron-sized spherical particles in the plasma sheath of an RF capacitive discharge. Until now linear resonances, assuming a linearly increasing electric field and a constant particle charge, were analysed [1]. Recently non-linear oscillations, assuming a constant charge and a non-linear electric field [2] were studied. Here the non-linear oscillations are investigated to determine the position-dependent electric field and particle charge. Three different particle sizes are used in order to explore a wide range of the plasma sheath. The experimental results are compared to the theoretical model of Lieberman and Lichtenberg [3].

[1] T. Trottenberg, A. Melzer, and A. Piel, Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 4, 450 (1995)

[2] A. V. Ivlev, R. Sütterlin, V. Steinberg, M. Zuzic and G. Morfill, Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 4060 (2000)

[3] M. A. Liebermann, IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. PS-16, 638 (1988)