Dust Clouds in Dc-Generated Dusty Plasmas: Transport, Waves, and Three-Dimensional Effects

Abstract

The study of dusty plasmas in dc-generated plasmas is a broad topic because of the wide variety of experimental configurations that fall under the category of “dc plasma source”. Experimental configurations such as the hot filament discharge, anodic (anode/cathode) discharge, and Q-machine are all variations of the “dc plasma source” in which extensive studies of dusty plasmas have been performed. This paper will review dusty plasma investigations in these plasma sources. First, an introduction to each of these configurations and representative examples of each one will be given. This will be followed by a discussion of microparticle confinement in each of these configurations. Then, key results from dusty plasma investigations using these devices will be discussed. Specific emphasis will be placed on studies of: microparticle charging, particle cloud morphology, dust-driven and dust-modified waves, and strongly coupled effects. Some remarks on emerging research areas will be given at the end (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)