Measurement of the Kinetic Dust Temperature of a Weakly Coupled Dusty Plasma

Abstract

Measurements of the velocity space distribution function of 1.2-mum-diameter alumina particles in an argon direct-current glow discharge dusty plasma are made using stereoscopic particle image velocimetry. These distribution functions are then used to determine the kinetic temperature of the dust component. These measurements show that the kinetic temperature of the dust component is significantly larger than the other plasma components, such as electrons, ions, and background neutrals