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Updated: May 10, 2026

Experimental Methods of Dust Charging and Mobilization on Surfaces with Exposure to Ultraviolet Radiation or Plasmas
Published on: April 3, 2018
Vertical-probe-induced asymmetric dust oscillation in complex plasma
B J Harris1, L S Matthews, T W Hyde
1CASPER (Center for Astrophysics, Space Physics, and Engineering Research), Baylor University, Waco, Texas 76798-7310, USA. brandon_harris@baylor.edu
Abstract:
A complex plasma vertical oscillation experiment which modifies the bulk is presented. Spherical, micron-sized particles within a Coulomb crystal levitated in the sheath above the powered lower electrode in a GEC reference cell are perturbed using a probe attached to a Zyvex S100 Nanomanipulator. By oscillating the probe potential sinusoidally, particle motion is found to be asymmetric, exhibiting superharmonic response in one case. Using a simple electric field model for the plasma sheath, including a nonzero electric field at the sheath edge, dust particle charges are found by employing a balance of relevant forces and emission analysis. Adjusting the parameters of the electric field model allowed the change predicted in the levitation height to be compared with experiment. A discrete oscillator Green's function is applied using the derived force, which accurately predicts the particle's motion and allows the determination of the electric field at the sheath edge.
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