Experimental and computational characterization of a modified GEC cell for dusty plasma experiments

TL;DR

This paper presents a combined experimental and computational study of a modified GEC cell for dusty plasma experiments, demonstrating the model's accuracy in replicating experimental data and analyzing local plasma profiles and forces.

Contribution

It introduces a self-consistent fluid model for asymmetric dusty plasma in a modified GEC cell, comparing results with experimental data and highlighting differences from the original GEC cell.

Findings

Model accurately matches experimental discharge parameters.

Profiles of dust particle transport are consistent with experiments.

Radial forces vary with discharge settings.

Abstract

A self-consistent fluid model developed for simulations of micro- gravity dusty plasma experiments has for the first time been used to model asymmetric dusty plasma experiments in a modified GEC reference cell with gravity. The numerical results are directly compared with experimental data and the experimentally determined dependence of global discharge parameters on the applied driving potential and neutral gas pressure is found to be well matched by the model. The local profiles important for dust particle transport are studied and compared with experimentally determined profiles. The radial forces in the midplane are presented for the different discharge settings. The differences between the results obtained in the modified GEC cell and the results first reported for the original GEC reference cell are pointed out.