Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
1864464 Physics Letters A 2009 4 Pages PDF
Abstract

In dusty plasmas, overlapping Debye spheres around dust grains could produce an attractive force between them. Its effects on static structures of two-dimensional (2D) dusty plasmas are studied here by using molecular dynamics simulations. Results, in terms of the equilibrium radial distribution function, are compared with those deduced from purely repulsive Debye–Hückel or Yukawa potential for different Coulomb-coupling and screening parameters. The effect of the attractive force is found quite noticeable for usual experimental conditions, and becomes more pronounced for larger screening parameter κ. In particular, it is observed that for large κ the attractive force is dominant, and dust grains tend to aggregate and form patterns with scattering voids.

Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering Physics and Astronomy Physics and Astronomy (General)
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