Multiscale Coherent Excitations in Microscopic Acoustic Wave Turbulence of Cold Dusty Plasma Liquids.

Abstract

We experimentally demonstrate the observation of thermally excited microscopic acoustic wave turbulence at the discrete level in quasi-two-dimensional cold dusty plasma liquids. Through multidimensional empirical mode decomposition of individual dust particle motions over a large area, the turbulence is decomposed into multiscale traveling wave modes, sharing self-similar dynamics. All modes exhibit intermittent excitation, propagation, scattering, and annihilation of coherent waves, in the form of clusters in the xyt space, with cluster sizes exhibiting self-similar power law distribution. The poor particle interlocking in the region with poor structural order is the key origin of the easier excitations of the large amplitude slow modes. The sudden phase synchronization of slow wave modes switches particle motion from cage rattling to cooperative hopping.