Possible method for diagnosing waves in dusty plasmas with magnetized charged dust particulates

摘要

We discuss theoretically a possible method for diagnosing some features of dust wave behavior in a magnetized plasma containing small (tens of nm) charged dust grains whose motion is magnetized. It is easier to magnetize a small dust particle because its charge-to-mass ratio increases as its size decreases. However, it is more difficult to use the backscattering of light from the dust as a diagnostic as the dust size decreases below the diffraction limit. The idea proposed here is to measure the reduction in transmitted UV or optical light intensity due to enhanced extinction by small metal dust particles that have surface plasmon resonances at those wavelengths. Such measurements could indicate the spatial location of the dust density compressions or rarefactions, which may yield information on the dust wave behavior, or perhaps even charged dust transport. Parameters that may be relevant to possible laboratory dusty plasma experiments are discussed.