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Updated: May 16, 2026

Structural Studies of Macromolecules in Solution using Small Angle X-Ray Scattering
Published on: November 5, 2018
Three-dimensional structure of Mach cones in monolayer complex plasma crystals
L Couëdel1, D Samsonov, C Durniak
1Aix-Marseille-Université/CNRS, Laboratoire PIIM, 13397 Marseille Cedex 20, France. lenaic.couedel@univ-amu.fr
Abstract:
The structure of Mach cones in a crystalline complex plasma has been studied experimentally using an intensity sensitive imaging, which resolved particle motion in three dimensions. This revealed a previously unknown out-of-plane cone structure, which appeared due to excitation of the vertical wave mode. The complex plasma consisted of micron sized particles forming a monolayer in a plasma sheath of a gas discharge. Fast particles, spontaneously moving under the monolayer, created Mach cones with multiple structures. The in-plane cone structure was due to compressional and shear lattice waves.
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