Complex plasmas: II. Elementary processes in complex plasmas

Abstract

This paper continues a series of review papers devoted to the physics of complex plasmas. The review contains a description of elementary processes in complex plasmas. The elementary processes are described in the simplest way and in a form useful for applications and estimates for existing experiments. The paper describes (i) the processes related to the charging process, including the dust charge fluctuations, absorption of plasma particles on dust grains, and friction of ions in collisions with grains; (ii) the forces acting on dust grains in complex plasmas, including ion drag force, thermophoretic force, and dust friction on neutral gas; (iii) dust-dust noncollective interactions, including the attraction related to the nonlinearity of screening and the shadow attraction related to ion and neutral particle bombardment; and (iv) dust-dust collective attraction in the absence and presence of an ion flow and a strong magnetic field. First experiments on the detection of dust-dust interactions are described. Elementary processes in complex plasmas can be used to explain existing experiments on dust-plasma crystals, dust clusters, and waves and instabilities in complex plasmas, as well as to discuss the trends in theoretical research, laboratory experiments, and in astrophysical and industrial applications.