Dusty plasma diagnostics methods for charge, electron temperature, and ion density

Diagnostic methods are developed to measure the microparticle charge Q and two plasma parameters, electron temperature Te, and ion density ni, in the main plasma region of a dusty plasma. Using video microscopy to track microparticles yields a resonance frequency, which along with a charging model allows an estimation of Q and Te. Only measurements of microparticle position and velocity are required, unlike other methods that use measurements of Te and plasma parameters as inputs. The resonance frequency measurement can also be used with an ion drag model to estimate ni. These methods are demonstrated using a single-layer dusty plasma suspension under microgravity conditions. © 2010 American Institute of Physics. doi:10.1063/1.3400225