Perspective: dusty plasma experiments—a learning tool for physics graduate students

Abstract

Plasma is an ionized gas that responses collectively to any external (or internal) perturbation. Introducing micron-sized solid dust particles into plasma makes it more interesting. The dust particles acquire large negative charges on their surface in low-temperature laboratory plasma and exhibit collective behavior similar to the ambient plasma medium. Some remarkable features of the charged dust grain medium (dusty plasma) allow us to use it as a model system to understand a number of physics phenomena at a microscopic level. In this perspective paper, the author highlights the role of dusty plasma experiments as a learning tool for undergraduate and post-graduate physics students at higher academic institutions. Students could have great opportunities to understand basic physical phenomena as well as learn about many advanced data analysis tools and techniques by performing dusty plasma (plasma) experiments. A few simple experiments in a single dusty plasma device that connect the basic physics phenomena are discussed.

Controlling the charge of dust particles in a plasma afterglow by timed switching of an electrode voltage

“…In a dusty plasma, small solid particles are immersed in a low-temperature plasma [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. In a laboratory plasma, dust particles generally have a negative charge while the plasma * Author to whom any correspondence should be addressed.…”

From theory to hands-on: teaching experimental plasma physics using small plasma devices at DTU

“…To this end, small to medium-sized plasma devices are commonly used in university education within plasma physics and nuclear fusion, both at undergraduate and graduate/masters level. Examples range from the use of small tokamaks such as GOLEM [1][2][3] and ISTTOK [4,5], through glow discharge experiments [6], to experiments focussing on inertial electrostatic confinement [7], dusty plasmas [8], and laser-plasma interactions [9]. Some of these experiments can even be operated remotely, also allowing students outside the relevant host facility to gain familiary with the operation and interpretation of plasma experiments.…”