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Electron temperature of ultracold plasmas
J L Roberts1, C D Fertig, M J Lim
1Atomic Physics Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|July 13, 2004
Abstract:
We study the evolution of ultracold plasmas by measuring the electron temperature. Shortly after plasma formation, competition between heating and cooling mechanisms drives the electron temperature to a value within a narrow range regardless of the initial energy imparted to the electrons. In agreement with theory predictions, plasmas exhibit values of the Coulomb coupling parameter Gamma less than 1.