Longitudinal and Lateral Shear Flow in a Dusty Plasma

In this paper, the manner in which the longitudinal (axial) and lateral (radial) shear flow differ experimentally in a three-dimensional (3D) complex (dusty) plasma is examined. Data is collected employing the PlasmaKristal-4 (PK4-BU) device at Baylor University which is used to investigate this phenomenon as a preliminary step to gaining a better understanding of shear flow at a fundamental level in microgravity. The paper will consider shear flow produced in a suspended cloud of melamine formaldehyde (MF) spheres in a DC plasma within the PK-4 BU with the shear flow initially established via radiation pressure from a collimated infrared laser (i.e., manipulation laser). Specific parameter spaces are examined experimentally in order to determine the directional dependence of the shear flow under these conditions. The resulting particle trajectories will be examined for lateral shear flow given imaging constraints and the potential implications and importance of understanding the directional dependence of shear flow forces will be discussed.

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