The effect of particle geometry on dynamical behavior in photo-discharged dusty plasmas

Experiments with charged microparticles in low-temperature plasmas indicate that photoelectric discharge, induced by a high-intensity near-UV source, can be used to measurably alter the instantaneous charge and equilibrium position of dust suspended in a plasma. Different particles in these experiments exhibit different classes of dynamical behavior, trending towards either more periodic or more chaotic motion. Computational models with simulated ellipsoidal particles can be used to explore the role that particle geometry may play in determining dynamical behavior when anisotropic charging processes, like photo-discharging, are involved. Results of a Python-based, single-body dynamics model are presented, including the time-evolution of individual particle behavior in real and phase-space over a period of simulated discharges, and statistical analysis of behavior over a range of symmetric and asymmetric particles.