Video aided extinction measurement: A competitive method for dust density diagnostics.

Among the most popular methods to measure dust density in a laboratory setup are 1D extinction, Abel inversion for circularly symmetric geometries, and computer tomography (CT) for arbitrary geometries. We present a new method based on a 1D extinction measurement in correlation with a video taken at an acute angle. It works well with limited optical access and has a good time resolution (at least several hertz). It measures the dust density within a slice of a nanodust cloud with precision comparable to other methods. Depending on the setup, this video aided extinction measurement can replace CT.

A novel method for the synthesis of core-shell nanoparticles for functional applications based on long-term confinement in a radio frequency plasma.

A novel combined setup of a Haberland type gas aggregation source and a secondary radio frequency discharge is used to generate, confine, and coat nanoparticles over much longer time scales than traditional in-flight treatment. The process is precisely monitored using localized surface plasmon resonance and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy as in situ diagnostics. They indicate that both untreated and treated particles can be confined for extended time periods (at least one hour) with minimal losses. During the entire confinement time, the particle sizes do not show considerable alterations, enabling multiple well-defined modifications of the seed nanoparticles in this synthesis approach. The approach is demonstrated by generating Ag@SiO2 nanoparticles with a well-defined surface coating. The in situ diagnostics provide insights into the growth kinetics of the applied coating and are linked to the coating properties by using ex situ transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Surface coating is shown to occur in two phases: first, singular seeds appear on the particle surface which then grow to cover the entire particle surface over 3 to 5 minutes. Afterwards, deposition occurs via surface growth which coincides with lower deposition rates. Our setup offers full control for various treatment options, which is demonstrated by coating the nanoparticles with a SiO2 layer followed by the etching of the part of the applied coating using hydrogen. Thus, complex multi-step nanofabrication, e.g., using different monomers, as well as very large coating thicknesses is possible.

Ion-wake-mediated particle interaction in a magnetized-plasma flow.

The interaction forces between dust grains in a flowing plasma are strongly modified by the formation of ion wakes. Here, we study the interparticle forces mediated by ion wakes in the presence of a strong magnetic field parallel to the ion flow. For increasing magnetic flux densities a continuous decay of the interaction force is observed. This transition occurs at parameters, where the ion cyclotron frequency starts to exceed the ion plasma frequency, which is in agreement with theoretical predictions. The modification of the interparticle forces is important for the understanding of the structure and dynamics of magnetized dusty plasmas.

Probing a dusty magnetized plasma with self-excited dust-density waves.

A cloud of nanodust particles is created in a reactive argon-acetylene plasma. It is then transformed into a dusty magnetized argon plasma. Plasma parameters are obtained with the dust-density wave diagnostic introduced by Tadsen et al. [Phys. Plasmas 22, 113701 (2015)10.1063/1.4934927]. A change from an open to a cylindrically enclosed nanodust cloud, which was observed earlier, can now be explained by a stronger electric confinement if a vertical magnetic field is present. Using two-dimensional extinction measurements and the inverse Abel transform to determine the dust density, a redistribution of the dust with increasing magnetic induction is found. The dust-density profile changes from being peaked around the central void to being peaked at an outer torus ring resulting in a hollow profile. As the plasma parameters cannot explain this behavior, we propose a rotation of the nanodust cloud in the magnetized plasma as the origin of the modified profile.