Abstract
Complex plasmas contain, in addition to the usual electrons, ions, and neutral atoms, macroscopic electrically charged (nanometer to micrometer) sized dust particles. Based on the ratio of the electrostatic potential to kinetic energy, these microparticles can exhibit gaseous, fluid, and crystal-like behavior. For this reason, complex plasmas are a unique testing ground to study multiparticle systems. The dynamics of these systems can be studied using the particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) analysis technique. The PTV technique provides a spatially resolved particle phase space distribution function, which can be used to calculate correlation functions and thermal properties of the system. There are experimental settings, such as microgravity experiments, where technical and data storage limitations make it desirable to have near real-time video analysis techniques that allow an experimenter to tune operating conditions until appropriate velocity profiles or velocity distributions are obtained. This article discusses PTV software that allows for real-time particle tracking that, we believe, can be applied to a broad range of physical systems.
Accepted Version
Published Version
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