Studies of the physical and thermodynamic properties of dusty plasmas and plasma crystals

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***9733554ThomasThis award is made as a part of the FY98 CAREER competition. The scientific component of the research focuses on the study of dust-particle transport in plasmas. The techniques of particle image velocimetry will be used to follow the motion of the particles. This marks the first time that this technique, which to date has been used on fluid systems, will be used to study dusty plasmas. The final years of the work will concentrate on the analysis of "crystals" in the plasma. The educational component of the activity involves the development of a competitive program that brings a high school student/teacher pair to work on a project in the PI's laboratory during each summer. This project would then be taken back to the high school during the subsequent academic year. At the same time the PI will serve as "science mentor" for the teacher's class during the school year.***