1.
Phys Rev Lett
; 90(5): 055003, 2003 Feb 07.
Artículo
en Inglés
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-12633365
RESUMEN
The first experiment on the decharging of a complex plasma in microgravity conditions was conducted. After switching off the rf power, in the afterglow plasma, ions and electrons rapidly recombine and leave a cloud of charged microparticles. Because of microgravity, the particles remain suspended in the experimental chamber for a sufficiently long time, allowing precise measurements of the rest particle charge. A simple theoretical model for the decharging is proposed which agrees quite well with the experiment results and predicts the rest charge at lower gas pressures.