Dust Charge Measurement Techniques for Dusty Plasmas Under a Strong Magnetic Field *

Dusty plasmas consist of components typically found in a plasma (electrons, ions and neutral particles) as well as micrometer sized dust particles. The structural and dynamic properties of a dusty plasma system are governed by the dust particle charging state. As such the knowledge of the exact charging state of the individual dust particles is very important. Theories such as OML and ABR theories have been used to determine dust charge value. Some recent experiments to determine particle charge indicate difference from theoretical models in the presence of a magnetic field.

 

In order to study this problem, we plan to utilize the Lorentz force acting on the moving particles due to the static magnetic field. A dust particle density gradient will build up due to the Lorentz force (similarly to the classical hall effect) and we will use this to determine charge. Utilizing a molecular dynamic simulation we plan on showing how the dust charge value can be determined non-invasively to a higher degree of precision than previous methods in a magnetized dusty plasma.