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fcc-bcc phase transition in plasma crystals using time-resolved measurements
C Dietz1, R Bergert1, B Steinmüller1
1I. Physikalisches Institut, Justus Liebig Universität Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 16, D 35392 Giessen, Germany.
Physical Review. E
|May 16, 2018
Summary
This study experimentally investigates the predicted fcc-bcc phase transition in three-dimensional plasma crystals, which are modeled as Yukawa systems. Researchers confirmed the transition
Area of Science:
- Plasma physics
- Condensed matter physics
- Crystallography
Background:
- Three-dimensional plasma crystals are often modeled as Yukawa systems.
- A phase transition between face-centered cubic (fcc) and body-centered cubic (bcc) crystal structures has been theoretically predicted in these systems.
- Experimental evidence for this fcc-bcc phase transition is currently lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally investigate the existence of the fcc-bcc phase transition in three-dimensional plasma crystals.
- To compare experimental findings with numerical results for Yukawa systems.
- To analyze the phase transition's dependence on screening parameters and structural order.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing a fast-scanning video camera to record the crystallization process of approximately 70,000 microparticles.
- Employing a machine learning algorithm to compute robust phase diagrams for crystal analysis.
- Conducting experiments at neutral gas pressures of 30, 40, and 50 Pa.
Main Results:
- The study experimentally confirms the existence of the fcc-bcc phase transition in three-dimensional plasma crystals.
- Phase diagrams were calculated using a machine learning algorithm, allowing for detailed analysis.
- The observed phase transition is suggested to be influenced by gravitational compression within the plasma crystal.
Conclusions:
- Experimental investigation of the fcc-bcc phase transition in plasma crystals is feasible.
- The findings provide a basis for comparing experimental data with theoretical Yukawa system models.
- This research offers a method to estimate coupling strength (Γ) by comparing experimental results with numerical simulations of Yukawa systems.
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