Dust particle string formation in the PK-4 direct current neon discharge

POSTER

Abstract

Using multi-scale numerical modeling we provide a detailed and quantitative description of the dust chain structure formation in the PK-4 experiment operating onboard the International Space Station based on a realistic particle in cell simulation of the neon DC gas discharge, Monte Carlo type dust particle charging computations, and dust-dust interaction calculations. We show, (i) that ionization waves and fast transients appearing during the polarity switching in the gas discharge play an important role to create stable dust particle chains, (ii) how the streaming ions deform the inter-particle interaction potential, and (iii) the mode structure of dust density waves traveling along the dust particle chains.

*Support from NASA/JPL Grant Number 1571701, NSF Grant numbers 174023 and 1707215, and NKFIH Grant number K115805 is gratefully acknowledged.

Authors

  • Peter Hartmann

    • Wigner Research Centre for Physics, Budapest, Hungary
    • CASPER, Baylor University, One Bear Place 97316, Waco, TX

  • Lorin S. Matthews

    • Baylor University - CASPER
    • Baylor University
    • CASPER, Baylor University, One Bear Place 97316, Waco, TX

  • Evdokiya Kostadinova

    • CASPER, Baylor University, One Bear Place 97316, Waco, TX

  • Truell W. Hyde

    • Baylor University - CASPER
    • CASPER, Baylor University, One Bear Place 97316, Waco, TX

  • Marlene Rosenberg

    • University of California, San Diego, California
    • Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA