Erlangen 2018 – scientific programme

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P: Fachverband Plasmaphysik

P 22: Complex Plasmas and Dusty Plasmas - Poster

P 22.6: Poster

Wednesday, March 7, 2018, 16:15–18:15, Zelt West

Experimental investigation of 3D vortex motion in a dusty plasma — •Matthias Mulsow, Michael Himpel und André Melzer — Institut für Physik, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität Greifswald, 17487 Greifswald

In low-temperature plasmas micrometer-sized particles are able to form highly ordered structures. Using a harmonic three-dimensional trapping potential strongly coupled finite systems can be created, the Yukawa-balls.

Under certain conditions the particles of such a ball are able to perform a vertical vortex motion, which can be observed by a four-camera stereoscopic system. From the camera images three-dimensional positions and velocities of the individual particles in the vortex can be reconstructed.

By analyzing the three-dimensional dust flow of clusters consisting of 50 to 1000 particles we were able to find a dependency between the vorticity and the cluster size. Furthermore, we identified radial gradients of the ion drag force as a possible drive of the vortex.

This contribution presents the experimental setup we used as well as the characteristics of the investigated vortex motion.