Studying Time-Dependent Filamentation in Magnetized Low Temperature Plasma with MDPX

Studying complex or "dusty" plasmas will provide valuable insight, from diagnostics to first principles, into interdisciplinary areas of research including astrophysics, energy applications, agriculture, and medicine. Based upon the charge-to-mass ratio of the dust component, a magnetic field of B ⩾ 1 T is required in order to observe effects due to magnetic forces. However, with fields higher than 1.5 T, an instability occurs in the radio-frequency (RF) generated background plasma called filamentation. With the use of optical diagnostics via 3D Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), the spatial morphology of these filaments has been observed and categorized into three different types or filamentary modes. In addition, the filaments have appeared to transform modes over time. This poster aims to explore the time-dependence of the spatial modes through image analysis, looking at properties such as discreteness of type and filamentation formation. Understanding both the spatial and temporal characteristics will support a first principles theoretical framework for this instability.