Self-consistent simulation of dust-plasma interactions in micro-gravity

A complex (dusty) plasma consists of ions, electrons, and micron-sized solid particles, commonly referred to as dust. An interesting aspect of complex plasma is its ability to self-organize into dust liquids, 2D and 3D dust crystal lattices and 1D dust chains. The resulting interaction between the dust and the flowing plasma creates an ion wakefield downstream from the dust, with the resulting positive space region modifying the interaction between the grains and contributing to the observed dynamics and equilibrium structure of the system.The PK4 experiment onboard the International Space Station allows for the investigation of the formation and dynamics of dust structures in microgravity, where the weak ion wakefield interactions play a larger role in determining the system dynamics. Here we present a molecular dynamics simulation capable of resolving the dynamics of extended dust structures on both ion and dust particle time scales. The results are compared with experimental data from the PK4 experiment.