Dynamics of two particles in a plasma sheath.
The stability and arrangements of two dust particles in a plasma are investigated in terms of the Hamiltonian of the system. It is shown that the Hamiltonian description of a non-Hamiltonian system can be used to predict qualitative features of possible equilibria in a variety of confinement potentials and can provide useful plasma diagnostics. The results compare favorably with those of simulations and are used to create experimental hypotheses. In particular, the symmetry-breaking transition of the particles as they leave the horizontal plane admits a Hamiltonian description which is used to elucidate the wake parameters.
School of Physics, The University of Sydney, Sydney New South Wales 2006, Australia.
J D E
JD
Stokes
A A
AA
Samarian
S V
SV
Vladimirov