BU Ground PlasmaKristal-4 (PK-4) Striation Studies and their Correlation to Dust Cloud Morphology

On board the International Space Station (ISS) data from the PlasmaKristal-4 (PK-4) routinely exhibits formations of long chains and dust acoustic waves. Both are of interest due to their application to other areas in physics and engineering. The fundamental physics of these phenomena is still being investigated where one possible mechanism is the so-called striation which has been observed in all PK-4 ground models. This work will discuss observed striations at different operating conditions and its correlation to dusty plasma cloud morphologies. PIC computer model results will also be examined to determine the role each particle species plays in the process. Both experimental and theoretical data will be presented and compared against ISS PK-4 data to first determine calibration of the ground unit and produce a hypothesis yielding an explanation to the observed PK-4 phenomena.