Circulation' dynamo in complex plasma

Abstract

In ground based experiments (performed in Ar using a radio frequency (rf)-discharge), we observe the interaction of individual agglomerated particles with a monodisperse (bulk) complex plasma cloud containing (melamine-formaldehyde (MF)) microparticles of 7.17 μm± 3% diameter. The particles are levitated by thermophoresis. For this purpose, a gas temperature gradient of 2000 K m−1 is applied. The particle cloud has a complicated 'sandwich-like' vertical structure of two dense slabs (filled by particles), separated by a void, a central particle-free region. The void is impenetrable for small particles, but not for heavier and/or accelerated agglomerates, which may slide through the entire void and therefore can be used as natural test particles for determination of the force acting inside the void. The bulk particles remain in quasi-equilibrium for a long time and are dynamically active, e.g., intense edge rotations (vortices) and nonlinear vertical waves. We traced particle motions in detail and studied the correlation of particle vibrations inside the clouds and the motion of agglomerates and/or accelerated particles penetrating through the void. A possible physical explanation of the cloud's activity is based on the assumption that the phenomenon can be considered as a consequence of the non-Hamiltonian character of complex plasmas.