Global Heating with Torsions in Plasma Crystals*

Complex plasmas are composed of nanometer to millimeter-sized grains suspended in a quasi-neutral plasma. Dust grains of the same size and material will self-assemble into monolayer hexagonal cells, known as plasma crystals, under appropriate radial and vertical confinement, through system power and pressure manipulation. Torsions are a feature unique to plasma crystals where two particles rotate as a quasi-pair outside the monolayer after formation, through decreases in power or pressure [1-3]. Torsions funnel energy from the ion wakefield into the crystal lattice through coulomb interparticle interactions. A gaseous electronics conference radio frequency (GEC RF) cell at Baylor University is being utilized to observe the global effects of torsions on plasma crystals. Observing torsions and their long-range effects will aid in the understanding of crystal temperature tolerances and particle movement. This talk will discuss torsion short and long-range heating effects within the dust grain lattice using experimentally collected data employing high-speed cameras, laser fans, and particle tracking software.