Dust Cloud Convections in Inhomogeneously Heated Plasmas in Microgravity

Abstract Convection is a phenomenon that often occurs in the presence of temperature gradients. In microgravity, free convection can not occur due to lack buoyancy. However, during parabolic flights we observed convections microparticles gas discharge within cylindrical plasma chamber setup PK-4. The and were exposed thermal gradient. There, cloud dust waves observed. Analysis by tracking microparticles’ trajectories showed vortices induced creep, flow commonly gases with low pressures at inhomogeneously heated solid interfaces. This effect has driven which turn caused microparticle cloud.