Dust pattern formation in magnetized low temperature plasmas

Experiments with the Magnetized Dusty Plasma eXperiment (MDPX) revealed an intriguing phenomenon known as "imposed, ordered structures" in dusty plasmas where electrons and ions are strongly magnetized (B > 1 T) (T. Hall et al., Phys. Plasmas 25, 103702, 2018). Micron-sized dust particles formed ordered structures with a 4-fold symmetry, aligning with the geometry of a square gridded conducting mesh placed above them. Fluid simulations suggest that elongated electric potential structures from the mesh may trap the dust particles (M. Menati et al., Plasma Sources Sci. Tech. 29, 085015, 2020). This differs from the 6-fold symmetry typically observed in two-dimensional dusty plasma crystals. The objective of this work is to study and quantify the transition of dust particles from a 6-fold symmetry (self-ordering) to a 4-fold symmetry (imposed-ordering) as the magnetic field increases. Preliminary results are presented from experimental studies of magnetized dusty plasmas under a mesh in the MDPX. Results from initial numerical studies of magnetized plasmas using fluid simulations will be presented, highlighting the characterization of electric potential structures formed under a mesh.