Shear flow in a three-dimensional complex plasma in microgravity conditions

Shear flow in a three-dimensional (3D) complex plasma was experimentally studied in microgravity conditions using the Plasmakristall-4 laboratory on board the International Space Station. The shear flow was created in an extended suspension of microparticles by applying the radiation pressure force...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: V. Nosenko, M. Pustylnik, M. Rubin-Zuzic, A. M. Lipaev, A. V. Zobnin, A. D. Usachev, H. M. Thomas, M. H. Thoma, V. E. Fortov, O. Kononenko, A. Ovchinin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Physical Society 2020-09-01
Series:Physical Review Research
Online Access:http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.2.033404
Description
Summary:Shear flow in a three-dimensional (3D) complex plasma was experimentally studied in microgravity conditions using the Plasmakristall-4 laboratory on board the International Space Station. The shear flow was created in an extended suspension of microparticles by applying the radiation pressure force of the manipulation-laser beam. Individual particle trajectories in the flow were analyzed and from these, using the Navier-Stokes equation, an upper estimate of the complex plasma's kinematic viscosity was calculated in the range of 0.2–6.7mm^{2}/s. This estimate is much lower than previously reported in ground-based experiments with 3D complex plasmas. Possible reasons for this difference are discussed.
ISSN:2643-1564