Thermodynamics, Phase Transitions, and Defects in Plasma Crystals

Complex plasmas, consisting of micron-sized particles embedded in glow discharge plasmas, are valuable model systems for the kinetic study of solid-state phase transitions at microscopic level. In other words, becasue the plasma crystal particles are large enough to be observed with cameras, it is for the first time possible to follow, particle by particle, the dynamics of phase transition processes, i.e. melting. The team will focus firstly on obtaining 3D structures and measuring correlation functions, defect distributions, and scaling indices to describe the phase transition phenomenology. Secondly, it will follow the study of microscopic particle kinetics in phase space. This will permit the comparison of micorscopic (statistical mechanics) and macroscopic (thermodynamics) description of the systems undergoing phase transition.

U.K Based researchers involved in this project

R. Bingham

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