Düsseldorf 2007 – scientific programme
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P: Fachverband Plasmaphysik
P 15: Staubige Plasmen
P 15.3: Talk
Wednesday, March 21, 2007, 15:05–15:20, 6F
Phase transitions in mesoscopic dust clusters — •Henning Baumgartner1, Volodymyr Golubnichiy1, Andre Melzer2, Sebastian Käding2, and Michael Bonitz1 — 1Institute for Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics, University Kiel, Leibnizstr. 15, 24118 Kiel — 2Institute of Physics, University Greifswald, Domstr. 10a, 17489 Greifswald
The simulation of dusty plasmas in a parabolic trap allows to study exciting phenomena which are not easily observed in experiments. A typical mesoscopic dust crystal consists of a few micrometer sized, highly charged particles which are confined by di erent forces resulting in a parabolic trap[1] and are arranged in nested shells[2]. These strongly coupled clusters are similar to ions in Paul- and Penning traps and are therefore of great theoretical interest. Here we present an analysis of phase transitions of dust clusters ( Yukawa Balls ) which are understood as a qualitative alteration of the cluster structure. The system state is defined by three parameters: the trap frequency, the coupling constant and the screening parameter which all allow for phase transitions. Ground and excited states found in the simulations are compared with experimental mesoscopic clusters[3,4].
[1] O. Arp, D. Block, M. Klindworth, and A. Piel, Phys. of Plasmas 12, 122102 (2005)
[2] K. Tsuruta, and S. Ichimaru, Phys. Rev. A 48(2), 1139 (1993)
[3] S. Käding, and A. Melzer, Phys. Plasmas 13, 090701 (2006)
[4] H. Baumgartner, H. Kählert, V. Golobnychiy, C. Henning, S. Käding, A. Melzer, and M. Bonitz, accepted for publication in CPP