Dynamical and structural properties of strongly coupled dusty plasmas

Abstract

Dusty plasmas offer a unique method for testing dynamical wave theories in the strong Coulomb coupling regime. Recently, there have been many theoretical models, based on either a generalized, hydrodynamic, or on kinetic descriptions, developed to describe dust acoustic waves under conditions of strong coupling. These theories attempt to extend the usual acoustic wave dispersion relation to the strong coupling regime and, in some cases, to finite frequencies and wavevectors beyond the hydrodynamic limit. This chapter uses a kinetic approach to obtain dispersion relations in terms of an approximate dynamic local field correction, and compares this with the viscoelastic Navier-Stokes description.