CAREER:Investigation of the Thermal and Transport Properties of a Dusty Plasma

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A complex (dusty) plasma is a four-component plasma system consisting of ions, electrons, neutral particles and charged microparticles. The microparticle component interacts with the other plasma components, acquires a net charge and self-consistently modifies the surrounding plasma medium. The resulting system is notably more complex than the traditional plasma, supporting a wide range of physical phenomena and having connections to nanoscience, fluid mechanics and material science. As a result, this field has, over the past twenty years, rapidly evolved into a scientifically interesting and technically challenging subfield of plasma physics. The objective of this research is to make detailed measurements of the distribution of thermal energy and the evolutions of the thermal and transport properties of a dusty plasma to address a number of open questions in the field of dusty plasmas. This will be accomplished through the use of the next generation particle image velocimetry (PIV) diagnostic, tomographic PIV, and high-speed imaging techniques.The results of this project will provide new and fundamental insight into the thermal and transport properties of the dusty plasma system at the kinetic level. In particular, this project will provide detailed measurements of the distribution of the dust thermal energy, how this energy is redistributed within the dusty plasma system and will contribute to the development of an equation of state for these systems. This project will provide new insight into the three-dimensional morphological features of these systems, such as the structure of the dust acoustic wave, and address open phenomenological questions involving the strength of the neutral drag force. Further, this project will serve as a springboard to involve undergraduates at small, liberal arts undergraduate institution in cutting-edge plasma science research through direct involvement in ongoing research efforts, through student attendance at regional and national professional meetings and through the development of level-appropriate curricular material at all levels of the undergraduate curriculum.