Particle Size Distribution Measurement of Free-Falling Fine Particles in a Dusty Plasma Experiment

Abstract

The particle size distribution in the production of a free-fall fine particle (FP) flow in a dusty plasma has been obtained experimentally by measuring the velocity distribution of falling particles at a gas pressure around 3,000 Pa. In this pressure range, from the balance of the gravitational force and the viscous force, the falling velocity is nearly proportional to the particle size. It has been confirmed that in our experimental setup, the particle velocity distribution is concentrated at a single velocity showing that the fine-particle flow is composed of particles of a single size.