Strong correlation effects in classical and quantum plasmas are discussed. In particular, Coulomb ͑Wigner͒ crystallization phenomena are reviewed focusing on one-component non-neutral plasmas in traps and on macroscopic two-component neutral plasmas. The conditions for crystal formation in terms of critical values of the coupling parameters and the distance fluctuations and the phase diagram of Coulomb crystals are discussed.
Small three-dimensional charged-dust clusters, so-called Yukawa balls, are analyzed with regard to their construction principle. For that purpose, in an experimental approach, different (metastable) configurations of clusters with fixed particle number (N<100) have been generated under identical plasma and trapping conditions. Metastable states are frequently observed. In combination with molecular dynamics simulations, it is shown that particle interaction with screening strongly affects the appearance probabilities of metastable configurations. Small clusters show different average density distributions with screened interaction compared to pure Coulomb, although having the same ground state configurations.
Spherical dust clusters composed of several concentric shells are experimentally investigated with particular interest on transitions between different configurations and transitions of particles between different shells. Transitions between different ground and metastable configurations are frequently observed. The experimental analysis allows us to derive the energy differences of different configurations from particles traveling between shells. The observed transitions and transition probabilities are compared to molecular dynamics simulations.
Recently the occurrence probabilities of ground-and metastable states of three-dimensional Yukawa clusters with 27 and 31 particles have been analyzed in dusty plasma experiments [Block et al., Physics of Plasmas 15, 040701 (2008)]. There it was found that, in many cases, the ground state appeared substantially less frequently than excited states. Here we analyze this question theoretically by means of molecular dynamics (MD) and Monte Carlo simulations and an analytical method based on the canonical partition function. We confirm that metastable states can occur with a significantly higher probability than the ground state. The results strongly depend on the screening parameter of the Yukawa interaction and the damping coefficient used in the MD simulations. The analytical method allows one to gain insight into the mechanisms being responsible for the occurrence probabilities of metastable states in strongly correlated finite systems.
A stereoscopic approach with standard video cameras for positioning and tracking of micrometer sized polymer particles in a radio-frequency gas discharge is presented. The stereoscopy is applied to simultaneously determine the positions of all particles in a three-dimensional strongly coupled spherical dusty plasma (Yukawa ball). The accuracy of the stereoscopic method is discussed. The shell structure and the occupation number of various Yukawa balls are determined and compared to recent simulations and models.
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