English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

We employ a particle-in-cell Monte Carlo collision/particle-particleparticle-mesh (PIC-MCC/PPPM) simulation to study the plasma flow around and thecharge distribution of a three-dimensional dust cluster in the sheath of alow-pressure rf argon discharge. The geometry of the cluster and its positionin the sheath are fixed to the experimental values, prohibiting a mechanicalresponse of the cluster. Electrically, however, the cluster and the plasmaenvironment, mimicking also the experimental situation, are coupledself-consistently. We find a broad distribution of the charges collected by thegrains. The ion flux shows on the scale of the Debye length strong focusing andshadowing inside and outside the cluster due to the attraction of the ions tothe negatively charged grains whereas the electron flux is characterized onthis scale only by a weak spatial modulation of its magnitude depending on therf phase. On the scale of the individual dust potentials, however, the electronflux deviates in the vicinity of the cluster strongly from the laminar flowassociated with the plasma sheath. It develops convection patterns tocompensate for the depletion of electrons inside the dust cluster.

Plasma flow around and charge distribution of a dust cluster in a rf discharge