Formation and structural transitions of 3D Coulomb crystals in dusty plasmas

Abstract

Abstract. 3D Coulomb crystals were formed in dusty plasmas using smaller fine particles growing in a methane/argon plasma. The structures were confirmed to be bct, fcc and hcp. The process of the structural transition from bct to fcc was analyzed and it was found that the transition occurred by the slip of crystal planes of bct(l 10), which are parallel to the fcc(l I I ) planes. The direction of the slip was bet[] 10] and fcc[21 1]. This process of transition between the two crystal structures and the relations in crystal planes and axes agree with the martensitic transformation.