Effect of Ionization on Void Formation in an RF Discharge under Microgravity Conditions

An analysis of the formation of a void in the PK3 setup in dusty plasma with 3.4-μm-diameter melamine–formaldehyde particles—in an RF discharge in argon at a pressure of 12–50 Pa under microgravity conditions at the ISS is presented. The uniform state of the plasma can only be obtained at a voltage...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Plasma physics reports 2023-02, Vol.49 (2), p.290-295
Main Authors: Vasilyak, L. M., Vetchinin, S. P., Polyakov, D. N.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied Physics
Argon
Atomic
Dusty plasmas
Electric potential
Ionization
Melamine
Microgravity
Molecular
Optical and Plasma Physics
Physics
Physics and Astronomy
Radio frequency discharge
Voltage
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Summary:An analysis of the formation of a void in the PK3 setup in dusty plasma with 3.4-μm-diameter melamine–formaldehyde particles—in an RF discharge in argon at a pressure of 12–50 Pa under microgravity conditions at the ISS is presented. The uniform state of the plasma can only be obtained at a voltage close to the discharge extinction voltage. The application of a low-frequency voltage of 20–50 Hz stabilizes the state of the dusty plasma and shifts the void formation threshold towards higher RF voltages. It is shown that the formation of a void is associated with non-local ionization of the plasma at the center of the discharge by fast electrons, which are heated in the near-electrode layers.
ISSN:1063-780X
1562-6938
DOI:10.1134/S1063780X22601961