Transverse Waves in a Two-Dimensional Screened-Coulomb Crystal (Dusty Plasma)

S. Nunomura; D. Samsonov; J. Goree

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.84.5141

Transverse Waves in a Two-Dimensional Screened-Coulomb Crystal (Dusty Plasma)

S. Nunomura, D. Samsonov, and J. Goree

Phys. Rev. Lett. 84, 5141 – Published 29 May 2000

Abstract

Transverse shear waves were observed experimentally in a two-dimensional screened Coulomb crystal. They were excited by applying a chopped laser beam to a 2D dusty plasma, i.e., a monolayer of charged microspheres levitated in a plasma. Measurements of the dispersion relation reveal an acoustic, i.e., nondispersive, character over the entire range of wave numbers measured, $0.2 < k_{r} a / π < 0.7$ , where $a$ is the interparticle spacing. Comparison to theory provides a measurement of the particles' charge.

Received 23 February 2000

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.84.5141

Authors & Affiliations

S. Nunomura^*, D. Samsonov^†, and J. Goree^‡

Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242

^*Electronic address: nunomura@dusty.physics.uiowa.edu
^†Current address: Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstrasse, 85740 Garching, Germany.
^‡Electronic address: john-goree@uiowa.edu