Browsing by Subject "Complex plasma."
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Item Effects of laser light on argon plasma in a GEC rf reference cell.(2011-09-14) Price, Alexander Thomas.; Hyde, Truell Wayne.; Physics.; Baylor University. Dept. of Physics.Since lasers have become so powerful in dusty plasma research, it is important to determine the manner in which a laser will affect the plasma. In this work, a Verdi ™ G-Series optically pumped semiconductor laser was used in conjunction with a Langmuir probe to determine the effect (if any) that the laser has on the plasma. A Langmuir probe was used to measure and monitor various plasma parameters in a dusty argon plasma. Measurements were taken with the laser immediately beneath the probe at various plasma pressures, plasma powers, and laser powers.Item Experimental probe-induced complex RF plasma phenomena.(2014-09-05) Harris, Brandon Joseph.; Hyde, Truell Wayne.; Physics.; Baylor University. Dept. of Physics.Plasma has long been studied in its own right as a state of matter, but the addition of particles large compared to its basic constituents yields a host of complicated behavior that was not predicted theoretically. Levitated micrometer-sized particles in the sheath of a RF plasma have previously been shown to form basic symmetry structure, but in this study, formerly undiscovered vertical oscillations, horizontal circular cavities, and waves in chains (longitudinal and transverse) were produced. Though a cylindrical vertical powered probe is used here to arrange and drive the particles in the laboratory, perturbations also exist in plasma formations in space that contain macroparticles. Probe theory is well established as a method to extract plasma parameters, but here the interaction of the probe affects particles directly through the probe’s electric field when nearby, and indirectly affects the particles by changing the local plasma conditions when far away. These effects are first examined independently, and then merged with a mid- range exploration by observing the particle structure formations and their motion. Since the probe extends into the non-uniform plasma sheath, the ubiquitous bulk plasma calculations are not valid, though they can be used as a starting point to facilitate understanding of the plasma and explain its interactions with dust and the probe.Item Nanomanipulator perturbation of dust crystals in a GEC rf plasma cell.(2010-10-08T16:24:26Z) Murphree, Jay Michael.; Hyde, Truell Wayne.; Physics.; Baylor University. Dept. of Physics.The vast majority of observable matter is composed of complex plasma. Even with its prevalence, the interactions between the plasma's constituents are not fully understood. In many cases, clouds of dust grains from and can even display organized, crystal-like, structures. Understanding the interparticle forces involved within these dust crystals will greatly advance the understanding of complex plasmas as a whole. Perturbing and observing the crystal's reaction is a practical and powerful method of examining these forces. In this paper, a new versatile system for controlled dust manipulation, the S100 nanomanipulator, is examined. Two experiments were conducted with this probe to characterize the response of both the plasma and a dust crystal. First, the dust was exposed to the probe to determine the length scale of interaction between the two. Next, a Langmuir probe was used to find the extent of the wake field produced.