PrefaceThe physics of complex plasma systems containing a colloid "macroscopic" particle component ("dust") is a rapidly emerging area at the forefront of the physics and chemistry of plasmas and gas discharges, space physics and astrophysics, and materials science and engineering. Complex plasma systems with nano-and microscopic particle inclusions is now a hot topic for many research areas. Such plasma systems present an excellent example of complex systems because of the many and varied constituents, and the space and time scales involved, with extensive interaction between them.In our decision to write this book, we were mostly motivated to introduce, in a systematic and easy-to-follow manner, our understanding of the fundamental physics and industrial applications of complex plasma systems. The recent progress in the field has been so remarkable that several novel directions and paradigms in complex plasma research have emerged. Therefore, we have decided to focus on the most important (as we see them) current topics, and new paradigms in the research on and applications of complex plasma systems. We also review the role of "dust" in laboratory plasmas and discuss various challenging applications of the nanoand micrometer-sized particles in high-tech industries. We systematically present the current state of research and the physical insights, including the advanced theoretical models and results of extensive computer simulations, complemented with the laboratory experiments specifically designed to elucidate the fundamental physics of complex plasmas. This book provides a broad perspective and opens up future development of this rapidly expanding field to interested researchers normally working in various areas. Even though the main attention in this book is given to the conditions relevant to the laboratory gas discharges and industrial plasma reactors, most of the fundamental concepts discussed here are also ... Vlll Physics and Applzcations of Complex Plasmasapplicable to space and astrophysical plasmas. A specialized and comprehensive description of the most recent theoretical, experimental, and modeling efforts to understand the unique properties of complex plasma systems, including the stability, dynamics, and self-organization of colloid particles and their associations, is given. Special attention is paid to the physical concepts and most recent technological advances in various industrial applications of the micrometer-and nano-sized particles. The first chapter introduces complex plasmas as a new and unusual state of matter with fascinating physical properties. Chapters 2 and 3 present the fundamentals of the theory of interactions of the colloid particles with ionized gases and experimental methods of production and diagnostics of complex plasmas. Topics important to the physics of strongly and weakly coupled particle-plasma. systems are discussed in the following three chapters. In Chapter 4, key attention is paid to the particle dynamic phenomena, as well as particle arrangement and stability ...

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An on-ground measurement of dust-particle residual charges in the afterglow of a dusty plasma was performed in a rf discharge. An upward thermophoretic force was used to balance the gravitational force. It was found that positively charged, negatively charged, and neutral dust particles coexisted for more than 1 min after the discharge was switched off. The mean residual charge for 200-nm-radius particles was measured. The dust particle mean charge is about -5e at a pressure of 1.2 mbar and about -3e at a pressure of 0.4 mbar .

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International audienceThe influence of diffusive losses on residual dust charge in a complex plasma afterglow has been investigated. The residual charge distribution was measured and exhibits a mean value Qdres~(−3e − 5e) with a tail in the positive region. The experimental results have been compared with simulated charge distributions. The dust residual charges were simulated based on a model developed to describe complex plasma decay. The experimental and simulated data show that the transition from ambipolar to free diffusion in the decaying plasma plays a significant role in determining the residual dust particle charges. The presence of positively charged dust particles is explained by a broadening of the charge distribution function in the afterglow plasma