Speaker
Mikhail Pustylnik
Description
See the full Abstract at http://ocs.ciemat.es/EPS2018ABS/pdf/P5.3010.pdf
Complex plasma investigations in the PK-4 facility
M.Y. Pustylnik1 , V.Yu. Nosenko1 , S. Jaiswal1 , M. Schwabe1 , S. Zhdanov1 , T. Antonova1 ,
S. Khrapak1 , H. Thomas 1 , A.M. Lipaev2 , A.V. Zobnin2 , A.D. Usachev2 , V.I. Molotkov2 ,
O.F. Perov2 , V.E. Fortov2 , M.H. Thoma3 , C. Du4
1 Institut für Materialphysik im Weltraum, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt,
Weßling, Germany
2 Joint Institute for High Temperatures, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
3 I. Physikalisches Institut, Justus-Liebig Universität, Gießen, Germany
4 College of Science, Donghua University, Shanghai, China
Complex plasmas are low-temperature plasmas containing a strongly coupled subsystem of
charged solid microparticles. The subsystem of microparticles can be used as an atomistic model
of classical condensed matter. It has been previously shown that complex plasmas allow to in-
vestigate many generic condensed matter phenomena [1] often at the individual particle level..
Since complex plasmas contain solid particles, they are significantly affected by gravity. Un-
stressed 3D microparticle systems can only be obtained under microgravity conditions.
Plasmakristall-4 (PK-4) is microgravity complex plasma facility on-board the International
Space Station. The heart of PK-4 is a glass tube plasma chamber of 3 cm diameter and about 20
cm working area length [2]. In this chamber, plasma is generated by means of a dc discharge,
whose polarity can be switched with the frequency up to 5 kHz. Microparticles of 1-10 µm
diameter can be injected into the plasma chamber. Manipulation devices like RF coils, manipu-
lation laser, thermal manipulator are also available.
Since PK-4 commissioning in June, 2015, four scientific campaigns have been conducted.
The scientific outcome of the campaigns will be presented and discussed. The topics include
charging and drift of the microparticles in a dc discharge, dust-acoustic waves and 3D structure
of the shear flow.
The authors greatly acknowledge the ESA-Roscosmos “Experiment Plasmakristall-4” on-
board the International Space Station.
References
[1] A. Ivlev, H. Löwen and C.P. Royall, Complex Plasmas and Colloidal Dispersions: Particle-resolved Studies
of Classical Liquids and Solids, World Scientific, Singapore (2012)
[2] M. Y. Pustylnik, M. A. Fink, V. Nosenko, T. Antonova, T. Hagl, H. M. Thomas, A. V. Zobnin, A. M. Lipaev,
A.D. Usachev, V. I. Molotkov, O. F. Petrov, V. E. Fortov, C. Rau, C. Deysenroth, S. Albrecht, M. Kretschmer,
M. H. Thoma, G. E. Morfill, R. Seurig, A. Stettner, V. A. Alyamovskaya, A. Orr, E. Kufner, E. G. Lavrenko,
G.I. Padalka, E. O. Serova, A. M. Samokutyayev, and S. Christoforetti, Rev. Sci. Instrum., 87, 093505 (2016)
