Some aspects of fluctuations dynamics of particles in dusty plasma

Abstract

Dusty plasmas are formed when micrometre particles of solid matter are introduced into glow discharge plasma. In the present research work, we investigated the fluctuation dynamics of the particles using the dynamic light scattering (DLS) technique and particle tracking with high-speed imaging technique. The DLS technique gives light intensity fluctuation which is analysed by fractal tools namely wavelet scalogram to give the Hurst parameter, “H” being associated with the fractional Brownian motion. The structural phases of particles are analysed using the pair correlation function. Particle trajectory analysis determines the transport characteristics of the charged dust particles. The scaling behaviour of the mean squared displacement (MSD) is investigated for different pressures. Results from both the DLS and MSD analysis are discussed regarding different transport mechanisms based on the fractional Brownian motion as the transport model. This study also highlighted the use of fractal analysis as a powerful tool for investigating fluctuation dynamics in dusty plasmas.