Modeling of voids in colloidal plasmas

Abstract

A two-dimensional fluid model for a dusty argon plasma in which the plasma and dust parameters are solved self-consistently, is used to study the behavior of voids, i.e., dust-free regions inside dust clouds. These voids appear in plasma crystal experiments performed under microgravity conditions. The ion drag force turns out to be the most promising driving force behind these voids. The contribution of the thermophoretic force, driven by the temperature gradient induced by gas heating from ion-neutral collisions, can be neglected in the quasineutral center of the plasma.