On the Wake Structure in Streaming Complex Plasmas

TL;DR

This paper investigates the electrostatic potential around dust grains in streaming complex plasmas using high-precision dielectric calculations and 3D particle-in-cell simulations, addressing multiscale interactions and dynamical effects.

Contribution

It systematically evaluates the dust grain potential in streaming plasmas through two complementary methods, enhancing understanding of complex plasma interactions.

Findings

Effective dust-dust interaction potential characterized.

Comparison of dielectric and particle-in-cell approaches.

Insights into non-linear and dynamical charging effects.

Abstract

The theoretical description of complex (dusty) plasmas requires multiscale concepts that adequately incorporate the correlated interplay of streaming electrons and ions, neutrals, and dust grains. Knowing the effective dust-dust interaction, the multiscale problem can be effectively reduced to a one-component plasma model of the dust subsystem. The goal of the present publication is a systematic evaluation of the electrostatic potential distribution around a dust grain in the presence of a streaming plasma environment by means of two complementary approaches: (i) a high precision computation of the dynamically screened Coulomb potential from the dynamic dielectric function, and (ii) full 3D particle-in-cell simulations, which self-consistently include dynamical grain charging and non-linear effects. The applicability of these two approaches is addressed.