title: Observation of particle pairing in a two-dimensional plasma crystal.
abstract: The observation is presented of naturally occurring pairing of particles and their cooperative drift in a two-dimensional plasma crystal. A single layer of plastic microspheres was suspended in the plasma sheath of a capacitively coupled radio-frequency discharge in argon at a low pressure of 1 Pa. The particle dynamics were studied by combining the top-view and side-view imaging of the suspension. Cross-analysis of the particle trajectories allowed us to identify naturally occurring metastable pairs of particles. The lifetime of pairs was long enough for their reliable identification.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, D-85741 Garching, Germany.
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Zhdanov
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, D-85741 Garching, Germany.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nosenko
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, D-85741 Garching, Germany.
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, D-85741 Garching, Germany.
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Morfill
authors.affiliation: CNRS, Université d'Aix-Marseille, PIIM UMR 7345, 13397 Marseille Cedex 20, France.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Couëdel