Design and characterization of an RF plasma device for single-grain optical trapping

Complex plasmas, or plasmas with charged microparticles, are ubiquitous in astrophysical and industrial environments. They are often byproducts of semiconductor fabrication and material processing but also provide insight into fundamental physics, such as energy transport and phase transitions. However, diagnosing dusty plasma with conventional probes can be very challenging as the insertion of probes can perturb the dust. Furthermore, all ground-based laboratory experiments are restricted by gravity, which confines all dust to the plasma sheath. A means to overcome this is optically trapping dust grains, which can then be transported to any location, allowing the study of dust grain-plasma interactions outside the sheath region. This project involves the design and characterization of a rf-generated, capacitively-coupled plasma device that can be used for single-grain dust trapping and other laser-based diagnostics. This presentation will focus on the design of the plasma source, its initial characterization, and the features that make it suitable for the study of optically trapped dust grains.