Dust Coulomb balls: three-dimensional plasma crystals.
First experimental investigations of spherical three-dimensional plasma crystals consisting of hundreds or thousands of micrometer-sized polymer particles suspended in a radio-frequency gas discharge are described. These "Coulomb balls" are not subject to the formation of dust-free regions (voids) and have an unusual structure of nested crystalline shells. While small systems are in a solid phase, large systems show melting effects.
Arp
Oliver
O
IEAP, Christian-Albrechts-Universität, D-24098 Kiel, Germany. arp@physik.uni-kiel.de
Block
Dietmar
D
Piel
Alexander
A
Melzer
André
A