Charges on particles in complex/dusty plasmas

Abstract

A complex/dusty plasma is an ionized gas containing small solid particles in the range from nanometers to centimeters. Natural dusty plasmas are ubiquitous in space, they can be found in interstellar clouds, Saturn rings, cometary tails, on the Moon and planetary atmospheres. Additionally, dusty plasmas are investigated in the lab where they are called complex plasmas in connection to complex fluids - fluids containing small solid particles. Charging of solid particles in plasmas is a very important and basic process. The continuous interaction of the dust with electrons and ions from the surrounding plasma as well as with UV radiation lead to its charging. Depending on whether electrons and ions are dominant or the UV flux, the charge can be negative or positive, respectively. Due to the continuous collection/release of charged species from the surface the charge fluctuates. In this lecture I will discuss the charging and decharging processes of solid particles in plasmas and the interaction of the particles with the surrounding plasma and with themselves.