MRI: Acquisition of a Tomographic Particle Image Velocimetry system for dusty plasma investigations

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。该合同支持购买一种最先进的仪器，一种层析粒子图像测速系统，该系统将允许对尘埃等离子体系统进行体积测量。因此，将探索新的研究领域，并解决尘埃等离子体中的一些悬而未决的问题，这些问题由于现有的诊断基础设施而无法解决。拟议工作的科学组成部分将使用PI先前开发的技术和下一代PIV诊断来详细测量弱耦合尘埃等离子体的热能分布和热传输特性的演变，以解决尘埃等离子体领域的许多悬而未决的问题，这些问题目前在尘埃等离子体界无法获得详细的水平。获得这种诊断方法将代表尘埃等离子体群落诊断基础设施的重大进步。因此，对该提案的支持将使PI处于尘埃等离子体社区的诊断前沿，并将打开许多合作机会。此外，由于尘埃等离子体存在于许多不同的环境中，因此所获得的见解将在许多领域产生广泛的影响。其次，它将改善获取途径，增加现代仪器的使用，并为本科院校的学生提供指导培训。第三，通过向本科生介绍一种先进的诊断技术，它将对维滕贝格大学物理系做出重大的教育贡献。此外，它将导致PI的研究和教学活动的加强整合。最后，鉴于维滕贝格大学物理学专业的女性人数众多，支持这一提案将有助于招募代表性不足的人群进入STEM领域。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).This award supports the acquisition of a state of the art instrument, a tomographic particle image velocimetry system, which would allow for volumetric measurements of dusty plasma systems. As a result, new areas of research will be explored and a number of open issues in the dusty plasmas will be addressed that are not accessible given the existing diagnostic infrastructure. The scientific component of the proposed work will use the techniques previously developed by the PI and the next generation PIV diagnostic to make detailed measurements of the distribution of thermal energy and the evolutions of the thermal and transport properties of a weakly-coupled dusty plasma to address a number of open questions in the field of dusty plasmas with a level of detail that is currently unavailable in the dusty plasma community.The acquisition of this diagnostic would represent a significant advance in the diagnostic infrastructure of the dusty plasma community. As a result, support of this proposal will position the PI at the diagnostic forefront of the dusty plasma community and would open a number of collaborative opportunities. Further, because dusty plasmas are present in many difference environments, the insight gained will have a broad impact in a number of fields. Second, it will improve access, increase use of modern instrumentation and provide mentored training to students at an undergraduate institution. Third, it will make significant educational contributions to the Physics Department at Wittenberg University through the introduction of level-appropriate curricular material that introduce an advanced diagnostic technique to undergraduates. Additionally, it will result in an enhanced integration of the PI's research and teaching activities. Finally, given the strong number of women physics majors at Wittenberg University, support of this proposal will support recruiting efforts of underrepresented populations into STEM fields.