Anomalous behaviour of the electron density in a pulsed complex plasma

Abstract

The electron density in a pulsed complex plasma is measured by means of time resolved microwave interferometry. Depending on the discharge conditions the temporal evolution of the electron density exhibits an anomalous behaviour. The electron density starts to decrease when the rf-power is switched on and it starts to increase when the rf-power is switched off. This anomalous behaviour can be attributed to the charging and decharging of nanoparticles.