Robert L. Merlino <br>

The University of Iowa, Department of Physics and Astronomy<br>

<i>Dusty Plasmas in the Laboratory and Space</i><p>

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Much of the solid matter in the universe is in the form of dust particles
(nanometer to micrometer-sized) which coexist with the ionized gaseous
component. This state of matter, which is known as a dusty plasma, occurs in
a wide variety of environments both cosmic and terrestrial, ranging from
planetary ring systems, cometary magnetospheres, the interstellar medium,
planetary nebulae as well as in noctilucent clouds in the earth's mesospheric
region. Dust is also an unwanted component of plasmas used for semiconductor
manufacturing, fusion plasmas and in plasmas near orbiting spacecraft. The
dust acquires a net electrical charge by collecting electrons and ions from
the plasma or by secondary emission or photoelectron emission if exposed to
UV radiation. This talk will focus on the basic physics of dusty plasmas with
particular emphasis on laboratory results. One of the intriguing aspects of
dusty plasmas is the observation that under some circumstances the dust
grains arrange themselves into regular lattice-like structures called Coulomb
crystals. Examples of these novel states of matter will be presented.

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