Measurement of Spatially Resolved Velocity Distributions in a Dusty Plasma

The three dimensional velocity space distribution of charged microparticles in a weakly-coupled (fluid-like) dusty plasma was measured using stereoscopic particle image velocimetry (stereo-PIV). In previous studies a single, spatially averaged, velocity space distribution was obtained over the entire microparticle cloud in the plasma [J. Williams and E. Thomas, Phys. Plasmas, 13, 063509 (2006)]. The data analysis techniques have been refined such that spatially resolved measurements of the velocity space distribution can be now be obtained. This poster will present measurements from dust clouds with and without the presence of dust density waves.