Experimental observation of vertically polarized transverse dust-lattice wave propagating in a one-dimensional strongly coupled dust chain

Forward and backward propagating breathers in a DNA model with dipole-dipole long-range interactions

The present study explores the existence and orbital stability of discrete bright breathers through the Joyeux-Buyukdagli DNA model incorporating long-range interactions (LRIs). The nonlinear Schrödinger equation is derived from a semidiscrete approximation and subsequently used to construct the targeted initial condition for numerical computations of the discrete breather. It appears that the interplay between the carrier wave frequency and the LRI induces stationary forward or backward propagating waves. For critical values of the LRI, stationary waves can occur out of the center/edge of the first Brillouin zone. The predicted breathers differ in their robustness and mobility for specific carrier-wave frequency and LRI. In all cases, semianalytical predictions agree with numerical simulations.

Coupling of Noncrossing Wave Modes in a Two-Dimensional Plasma Crystal

We report an experimental observation of the coupling of the transverse vertical and longitudinal in-plane dust-lattice wave modes in a two-dimensional complex plasma crystal in the absence of mode crossing. A new large-diameter rf plasma chamber was used to suspend the plasma crystal. The observations are confirmed with molecular dynamics simulations. The coupling manifests itself in traces of the transverse vertical mode appearing in the measured longitudinal spectra and vice versa. We calculate the expected ratio of the trace to the principal mode with a theoretical analysis of the modes in a crystal with finite temperature and find good agreement with the experiment and simulations.

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.

Wakes in inhomogeneous plasmas

The Debye shielding of a charge immersed in a flowing plasma is an old classic problem. It has been given renewed attention in the last two decades in view of experiments with complex plasmas, where charged dust particles are often levitated in a region with strong ion flow. Efforts to describe the shielding of the dust particles in such conditions have been focused on the homogeneous plasma approximation, which ignores the substantial inhomogeneity of the levitation region. We address the role of the plasma inhomogeneity by rigorously calculating the point charge potential in the collisionless Bohm sheath. We demonstrate that the inhomogeneity can dramatically modify the wake, making it nonoscillatory and weaker.

Ion-wake-induced anomaly of dust lattice mode in the presence of an external magnetic field

We report a theoretical investigation of the dust lattice (DL) mode in two-dimensional Yukawa crystals in the presence of asymmetric ion flow and an external magnetic field perpendicular to the crystal plane. Two mutually perpendicular modes are found to be coupled due to Lorentz force. Interaction among the dust grains along the vertical direction of ion flow is strongly affected due to the formation of an ion wake. This causes anisotropy in interaction strength along two mutually perpendicular directions. Both hybrid modes are studied as characteristics of different ion flow speeds and magnetic field strengths. The study shows a fluctuation in DL mode frequency driven by the strength of the particle-wake interaction. The effect of ion flow on polarization of the hybrid wave amplitudes is discussed in detail. Results show a possible mechanism of anomalous phase transition in dusty plasma.

Dimensional phase transition in small Yukawa clusters

We investigate the one- to two-dimensional zigzag transition in clusters consisting of a small number of particles interacting through a Yukawa (Debye) potential and confined in a two-dimensional biharmonic potential well. Dusty (complex) plasma clusters with n<or=19 monodisperse particles are characterized experimentally for two different confining wells. The well anisotropy is accurately measured, and the Debye shielding parameter is determined from the longitudinal breathing frequency. Debye shielding is shown to be important. A model for this system is used to predict equilibrium particle configurations. The experiment and model exhibit excellent agreement. The critical value of n for the zigzag transition is found to be less than that predicted for an unshielded Coulomb interaction. The zigzag transition is shown to behave as a continuous phase transition from a one-dimensional to a two-dimensional state, where the state variables are the number of particles, the well anisotropy and the Debye shielding parameter. A universal critical exponent for the zigzag transition is identified for transitions caused by varying the Debye shielding parameter.

Discrete breathers in hexagonal dusty plasma lattices

The occurrence of single-site or multisite localized vibrational modes, also called discrete breathers, in two-dimensional hexagonal dusty plasma lattices is investigated. The system is described by a Klein-Gordon hexagonal lattice characterized by a negative coupling parameter epsilon in account of its inverse dispersive behavior. A theoretical analysis is performed in order to establish the possibility of existence of single as well as three-site discrete breathers in such systems. The study is complemented by a numerical investigation based on experimentally provided potential forms. This investigation shows that a dusty plasma lattice can support single-site discrete breathers, while three-site in phase breathers could exist if specific conditions, about the intergrain interaction strength, would hold. On the other hand, out of phase and vortex three-site breathers cannot be supported since they are highly unstable.

Discrete solitons and vortices in hexagonal and honeycomb lattices: existence, stability, and dynamics

We consider a prototypical dynamical lattice model, namely, the discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation on nonsquare lattice geometries. We present a systematic classification of the solutions that arise in principal six-lattice-site and three-lattice-site contours in the form of both discrete multipole solitons and discrete vortices. Additionally to identifying the possible states, we analytically track their linear stability both qualitatively and quantitatively. We find that among the six-site configurations, the "hexapole" of alternating phases (0-pi) , as well as the vortex of topological charge S=2 have intervals of stability; among three-site states, only the vortex of topological charge S=1 may be stable in the case of focusing nonlinearity. These conclusions are confirmed both for hexagonal and for honeycomb lattices by means of detailed numerical bifurcation analysis of the stationary states from the anticontinuum limit, and by direct simulations to monitor the dynamical instabilities, when the latter arise. The dynamics reveal a wealth of nonlinear behavior resulting not only in single-site solitary wave forms, but also in robust multisite breathing structures.

Existence of multisite intrinsic localized modes in one-dimensional Debye crystals

The existence of highly localized multisite oscillatory structures (discrete multibreathers) in a nonlinear Klein-Gordon chain which is characterized by an inverse dispersion law is proven and their linear stability is investigated. The results are applied in the description of vertical (transverse, off-plane) dust grain motion in dusty plasma crystals, by taking into account the lattice discreteness and the sheath electric and/or magnetic field nonlinearity. Explicit values from experimental plasma discharge experiments are considered. The possibility for the occurrence of multibreathers associated with vertical charged dust grain motion in strongly coupled dusty plasmas (dust crystals) is thus established. From a fundamental point of view, this study aims at providing a rigorous investigation of the existence of intrinsic localized modes in Debye crystals and/or dusty plasma crystals and, in fact, suggesting those lattices as model systems for the study of fundamental crystal properties.

Modification of the damping rate of the oscillations of a dust particle levitating in a plasma due to the delayed charging effect

Dependence of the damping rate of the oscillations of the dust particles levitating in the sheath on the plasma parameters is investigated both theoretically and experimentally. Significant deviations of the damping rate from the values predicted by the Epstein formula are found in the experiment. The delayed charging effect is applied for the theoretical explanation of the experimental results. Qualitative agreement between the theoretical and experimental data is obtained.

Zigzag transition of finite dust clusters

Experiments on the zigzag transition of finite dust clusters are presented. There, microspheres have been confined in an anisotropic trap in the sheath of a radio-frequency discharge plasma. Transitions of the clusters from a linear chain into a zigzag configuration are observed by increasing the particle number in the chain or by variation of the anisotropy of the confinement. The equilibrium configurations of the finite clusters, as well as the dynamical properties and the stability behavior near the transition have been investigated from a normal mode analysis. Furthermore, the longitudinal and transverse dispersion of the normal modes in the one-dimensional (1D) chain has been derived.

Anomalous vibrational dispersion in holographically trapped colloidal arrays

Colloidal spheres localized in an array of harmonic wells form a thermally excited, viscously damped dynamical system capable of supporting propagating elastic waves. Experimentally realized with micrometer-scale polystyrene spheres localized in a line of holographic optical traps, the hydrodynamically coupled array's behavior is quantitatively explained by a model based on the Oseen superposition approximation. The spheres' purely dissipative coupling is predicted to mediate a crossover to a regime of underdamped propagating elastic waves with uniformly negative group velocities that has yet to be verified experimentally.

Coupled dust-lattice modes in complex plasmas

The coupling between transverse and longitudinal dust-lattice modes due to the particle-wake interactions and vertical dust charge gradient is considered. It is shown that the dust-lattice waves can be subjected to a specific instability, the criterion for which has been derived. This instability can explain experimentally observed spontaneous excitation of vibrational modes in a plasma crystal when the pressure is decreased below a critical value.

Vertical wave packets observed in a crystallized hexagonal monolayer complex plasma

Propagation of vertical wave packets was observed experimentally in a crystallized hexagonal monolayer complex plasma. It was found that the phase velocity exceeded the group velocity by a factor 65 and was directed into the opposite direction as expected for an inverse optical-like dispersion relation. The wave packets propagated keeping their width constant. The explanation of this behavior is based on three-dimensional equations of motion and uses a long-wavelength weak dispersion weak inhomogeneity approximation. While the wave dispersion causes the wave packet to spread, lattice inhomogeneity and neutral gas drag counteract spreading. A plasma diagnostic method was developed that is based on the ratio between vertical and dust-lattice wave speeds. This ratio is very sensitive to the lattice parameter kappa (ratio of the particle separation to the screening length) in a very useful range of kappa < or = 2 . It was found that only a two-dimensional lattice model can provide a quantitative description of the vertical waves, while a linear chain model gives only a qualitative agreement.

Wave dispersion relation of two-dimensional plasma crystals in a magnetic field

The wave dispersion relation in a two-dimensional strongly coupled plasma crystal is studied by theoretical analysis and molecular dynamics simulation taking into account a constant magnetic field parallel to the crystal normal. The expression for the wave dispersion relation clearly shows that high-frequency and low-frequency branches exist as a result of the coupling of longitudinal and transverse modes due to the Lorenz force acting on the dust particles. The high-frequency and the low-frequency branches are found to belong to right-hand and left-hand polarized waves, respectively.

Nonlinearity from geometric interactions: a case example

We propose a ladder model wherein dynamical nonlinearity arises from geometry. It includes two strings of particles which are set along rigid rails of a "railroad" and coupled by linear springs. Physical realizations of the model include dust-particle strings in plasma sheaths and chains of microparticles trapped in a strong optical lattice. The transverse couplings between the strings, along with the motion constraint imposed by the rails, generate nonlinearity. It gives rise to robust solitary waves, which are found analytically in the long-wavelength limit, and are obtained in simulations of the full system.

Normal modes of a quasi-one-dimensional multichain complex plasma

We studied equally charged particles, suspended in a complex plasma, which move in a plane and interact with a screened Coulomb potential (Yukawa type) and with an additional external confining parabolic potential in one direction, which makes the system quasi-one-dimensional (Q1D). The normal modes of the system are studied in the presence of dissipation. We also investigated how a perpendicular magnetic field couples the phonon modes with each other. Two different ways of exciting the normal modes are discussed: (1) a uniform excitation of the Q1D lattice, and (2) a local forced excitation of the system in which one particle is driven by, e.g., a laser. Our results are in very good agreement with recent experimental findings on a finite single chain system [Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 255003 (2003)]]. Predictions are made for the normal modes of multichain structures in the presence of damping.

Collective modes of quasi-two-dimensional Yukawa liquids

Particles in dusty plasmas are often confined to a quasi-two-dimensional arrangement. In such layers--besides the formation of compressional and (in-plane) shear waves--an additional collective excitation may also show up, as small-amplitude oscillations of the particles perpendicular to the plane are also possible. We explore through molecular dynamics simulations the properties (fluctuation spectra, dispersion relation, Einstein frequency) of this out-of-plane transverse mode in the strongly coupled liquid phase of Yukawa systems.

Transverse optical mode in a one-dimensional Yukawa chain

A transverse optical mode was observed in a one-dimensional Yukawa chain. Charged particles, suspended in a strongly coupled dusty plasma, were arranged in a 1D periodic structure. Particle displacement in the direction perpendicular to the chain was restored by the confining potential. The dispersion relation of phonons was measured, verifying that the optical mode has negative dispersion, with phase and group velocities that are oppositely directed. A theoretical dispersion relation is presented and compared to the experiment and a molecular dynamics simulation.

Rotational modes of oscillation of rodlike dust grains in a plasma

Three dimensional rotatory modes of oscillations in a one-dimensional chain of rodlike charged particles or dust grains in a plasma are investigated. The dispersion characteristics of the modes are analyzed. The stability of different equilibrium orientations of the rods, phase transitions between the different equilibria, and a critical dependence on the relative strength of the confining potential are analyzed. The relations of these processes with liquid crystals, nanotubing, and plasma coating are discussed.

Wave dispersion relations in two-dimensional Yukawa systems

Collective modes in a two-dimensional Yukawa system are investigated by molecular dynamics simulation in a wide range of coupling parameter Gamma and screening strength kappa. The dispersion relations and sound speeds of the transverse and longitudinal waves obtained for hexagonal lattice are in agreement with the theoretical results. The negative dispersion of the longitudinal wave is demonstrated. Frequency gaps are found on the dispersion curves of the transverse wave due to scattering of the waves on lattice defects for proper values of Gamma. The common frequency of transverse and longitudinal waves drops dramatically with the increasing screening strength kappa.

Dispersion relations of longitudinal and transverse waves in two-dimensional screened Coulomb crystals

Dispersion relations of longitudinal and transverse waves in two-dimensional (2D) screened-Coulomb crystals were investigated. The waves were excited in 2D crystals made from complex plasmas, i.e., dusty plasmas, by applying radiation pressure of laser light. The dependencies of the dispersion relation on the shielding parameter, the damping rate, and the wave propagation direction were experimentally measured. The measured dispersion relations agree reasonably with a recently developed theory, and the comparison yields the shielding parameter and the charge on particles.

Experimental observations of transverse shear waves in strongly coupled dusty plasmas

We report experimental observations of transverse shear waves in a three-dimensional dusty plasma that is in the strongly coupled fluid regime. These spontaneous oscillations occur when the ambient neutral pressure is reduced below a threshold value and the measured dispersion characteristics of these waves are found to be in good agreement with predictions of a viscoelastic theory of dusty plasmas.