Self-organized waves in annular rf weakly magnetized dusty plasmas

Abstract

Self-organized waves and the associated dust particle motion are studied experimentally in a low-pressure annular rf weakly magnetized dusty discharge system. Low-frequency drift waves with strong modulation on plasma density and dark space (sheath) width, traveling azimuthally with mode number m=1, are self-excited. Period-n and quasiperiodic states are also observed at higher rf power. Dust particles in the liquid state show collective elliptical cyclic motion in the low-frequency ionization-drift wave but respond only weakly to waves with frequencies above 50 Hz. When dust is added to a dust-free magnetized discharge in which there exists an ionization drift wave at 20 KHz, the wave amplitude is reduced and the frequency is down shifted.