title: Dynamic probe of dust wakefield interactions using constrained collisions.
abstract: The magnitude and the structure of the ion-wakefield potential below a negatively charged dust particle levitated in the plasma-sheath region have been determined. Attractive and repulsive components of the interaction force were extracted from a trajectory analysis of low-energy dust collisions in a well-defined electrostatic potential, which constrained the dynamics of the collisions to be one dimensional. The peak attraction was on the order of 100 fN. The structure of the ion-wakefield-induced attractive potential was significantly different from a screened-Coulomb repulsive potential.
authors.affiliation: Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185-1423, USA.
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Hebner
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Riley
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Marder