Greifswald 2024 – scientific programme
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P: Fachverband Plasmaphysik
P 8: Complex Plasmas and Dusty Plasmas I
P 8.1: Invited Talk
Tuesday, February 27, 2024, 11:00–11:30, WW 1: HS
Pulsed Complex Plasma In Microgravity — •Christina A. Knapek1,2, Daniel P. Mohr1,2, and Peter Huber2 — 1Institute of Physics, University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany — 2Institut für Materialphysik im Weltraum, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt, 51147 Köln, Germany
A new experimental method for creating void-free complex plasmas under microgravity conditions is presented. The method is based on a pulsed operation mode of a four-channel radio-frequency generator for plasma generation. A dust cloud of micrometer-sized particles can be immersed in the bulk of a low temperature plasma under microgravity conditions. It typically contains a central volume depleted of particles -- the void -- that prevents the generation of large, continuous clouds. Experiments performed at different neutral gas pressures and discharge volumes during the microgravity phase of a parabolic flight show that the central void is closed completely once the pulsed operation mode is applied. The particle cloud shape, and the density distribution within the cloud, are practically independent on the pulse period within the investigated parameter range. The proposed method has great potential for future application in experimental facilities dedicated to fundamental studies of large three-dimensional, homogeneous complex plasma systems in microgravity. Prospective ongoing studies are outlined that are dedicated to investigate the underlying physical processes for the observed void closure.
This work is funded by DLR/BMWi (FKZ 50WP0700, 50WM1441, 50WM2161) and StMWi.
Keywords: complex plasma; pulsed plasma; microgravity research; void