Effect of strong wakes on waves in two-dimensional plasma crystals

Square Lattice Formation in a Monodisperse Complex Plasma

We present the first observations of a square lattice formation in a monodisperse complex plasma system, a configurational transition phenomenon that has long been an experimental challenge in the field. The experiments are conducted in a tabletop L-shaped dusty plasma experimental device in a dc glow discharge Argon plasma environment. By a careful control of the vertical potential confining the charged particles as well as the strength of the ion wake charge interactions with the dust particles, we are able to steer the system toward a crystalline phase that exhibits a square lattice configuration. The transition occurs when the vertical confinement strength is slightly reduced below a critical value leading to a buckling of the monodisperse hexagonal 2D dust crystal to form a narrowly separated bilayer state (a quasi-2D state). Some theoretical insights into the transition process are provided through molecular dynamics simulations carried out for the parameters relevant to our experiment.

Stability of two-dimensional complex plasma monolayers in asymmetric capacitively coupled radio-frequency discharges

In this article, the stability of a complex plasma monolayer levitating in the sheath of the powered electrode of an asymmetric capacitively coupled radio-frequency argon discharge is studied. Compared to earlier studies, a better integration of the experimental results and theory is achieved by operating with actual experimental control parameters such as the gas pressure and the discharge power. It is shown that for a given microparticle monolayer at a fixed discharge power there exist two threshold pressures: (i) above a specific pressure p_{cryst}, the monolayer always crystallizes; (ii) below a specific pressure p_{MCI}, the crystalline monolayer undergoes the mode-coupling instability and the two-dimensional complex plasma crystal melts. In between p_{MCI} and p_{cryst}, the microparticle monolayer can be either in the fluid phase or the crystal phase: when increasing the pressure from below p_{MCI}, the monolayer remains in the fluid phase until it reaches p_{cryst} at which it recrystallizes; when decreasing the pressure from above p_{cryst}, the monolayer remains in the crystalline phase until it reaches p_{MCI} at which the mode-coupling instability is triggered and the crystal melts. A simple self-consistent sheath model is used to calculate the rf sheath profile, the microparticle charges, and the microparticle resonance frequency as a function of power and background argon pressure. Combined with calculation of the lattice modes the main trends of p_{MCI} as a function of power and background argon pressure are recovered. The threshold of the mode-coupling instability in the crystalline phase is dominated by the crossing of the longitudinal in-plane lattice mode and the out-of plane lattice mode induced by the change of the sheath profile. Ion wakes are shown to have a significant effect too.

Dynamics of spinning particle pairs in a single-layer complex plasma crystal

Spontaneous formation of spinning pairs of particles, or torsions, is studied in a single-layer complex plasma crystal by reducing the discharge power at constant neutral gas pressure. At higher gas pressures, torsions spontaneously form below a certain power threshold. Further reduction of the discharge power leads to the formation of multiple torsions. However, at lower gas pressures the torsion formation is preceded by mode-coupling instability (MCI). The crystal dynamics are studied with the help of the fluctuation spectra of crystal particles' in-plane velocities. Surprisingly, the spectra of the crystal with torsions and MCI are rather similar and contain hot spots at similar locations on the (k,ω) plane, despite very different appearances of the respective particle trajectories. The torsion rotation speed is close (slightly below) to the maximum frequency of the in-plane compressional mode. When multiple torsions form, their rotation speeds are distributed in a narrow range slightly below the maximum frequency.

Plasma crystal dynamics measured with a three-dimensional plenoptic camera

Three-dimensional (3D) imaging of a single-layer plasma crystal was performed using a commercial plenoptic camera. To enhance the out-of-plane oscillations of particles in the crystal, the mode-coupling instability (MCI) was triggered in it by lowering the discharge power below a threshold. 3D coordinates of all particles in the crystal were extracted from the recorded videos. All three fundamental wave modes of the plasma crystal were calculated from these data. In the out-of-plane spectrum, only the MCI-induced hot spots (corresponding to the unstable hybrid mode) were resolved. The results are in agreement with theory and show that plenoptic cameras can be used to measure the 3D dynamics of plasma crystals.

Anisotropic confinement effects in a two-dimensional plasma crystal

The spectral asymmetry of the wave-energy distribution of dust particles during mode-coupling-induced melting, observed for the first time in plasma crystals by Couëdel et al. [Phys. Rev. E 89, 053108 (2014)PLEEE81539-375510.1103/PhysRevE.89.053108], is studied theoretically and by molecular-dynamics simulations. It is shown that an anisotropy of the well confining the microparticles selects the directions of preferred particle motion. The observed differences in intensity of waves of opposed directions are explained by a nonvanishing phonon flux. Anisotropic phonon scattering by defects and Umklapp scattering are proposed as possible reasons for the mean phonon flux.

Wave modes in shear-deformed two-dimensional plasma crystals

A theory of wave modes in shear-deformed two-dimensional plasma crystals is presented. Modification of the dispersion relations upon the pure and simple shear, and the resulting effect on the onset of the mode-coupling instability, are studied. In particular, it is explained why the velocity fluctuation spectra measured in experiments with sheared crystals exhibit asymmetric "hot spots": It is shown that the coupling of the in-plane compressional and the out-of-plane modes, leading to the formation of an unstable hybrid mode and generation of the hot spots, is enhanced in a certain direction determined by deformation.

Connecting the wakefield instabilities in dusty plasmas

The wakefield, or ion focus, formed by ions streaming past dust particles trapped in the plasma sheath leads to two types of instabilities: the Schweigert instability in multilayer systems and the mode-coupling instability that already appears in single-layer dust systems. Here, a model is presented that treats both types of instability in a common description. The parameter space for the onset of the instabilities is determined. A new variant of the mode-coupling instability is found to arise from the interaction among the layers. For weak confinement, all instabilities continuously merge into each other. For stronger confinement of the dust mainly the Schweigert type of instability is observed.

Mode-coupling instability in a fluid two-dimensional complex plasma

A theory of the mode-coupling instability (MCI) in a fluid two-dimensional complex plasma is developed. In analogy to the point-wake model of the wake-mediated interactions commonly used to describe MCI in two-dimensional crystals, the layer-wake model is employed for fluids. It is demonstrated that the wake-induced coupling of wave modes occurs in both crystalline and fluid complex plasmas, but the confinement-density threshold, which determines the MCI onset in crystals, virtually disappears in fluids. The theory shows excellent qualitative agreement with available experiments and provides certain predictions to be verified.

Mode coupling and resonance instabilities in quasi-two-dimensional dust clusters in complex plasmas

Small quasi-two-dimensional dust clusters consisting of three to eleven particles are formed in an argon plasma under varying rf power. Their normal modes are investigated through their mode spectra obtained from tracking the particles' thermal motion. Detailed coupling patterns between their horizontal and vertical modes are detected for particle numbers up to 7 and discrete instabilities are found for dust clusters with particle number ⩾9, as predicted in previous theory on ion-flow induced mode coupling in small clusters. The instabilities are proven to be induced by resonance between coupled horizontal and vertical normal modes.

Synchronization of particle motion induced by mode coupling in a two-dimensional plasma crystal

The kinematics of dust particles during the early stage of mode-coupling induced melting of a two-dimensional plasma crystal is explored. It is found that the formation of the hybrid mode causes the particle vibrations to partially synchronize at the hybrid frequency. Phase- and frequency-locked hybrid particle motion in both vertical and horizontal directions (hybrid mode) is observed. The system self-organizes in a rhythmic pattern of alternating in-phase and antiphase oscillating chains of particles. The spatial orientation of the synchronization pattern correlates well with the directions of the maximal increment of the shear-free hybrid mode.