Tracking dust: tracking and state estimation for dusty plasmas

Abstract

Complex (dusty) plasmas - consisting of micron-sized grains within an ion-electron plasma - are a unique vehicle for studying the kinematics of microscopic systems. Although they are mesoscopic, they embody many of the major structural properties of conventional condensed matter systems (fluid-like and crystal-like states) and they can be used to probe the structural dynamics of such complex systems. Modern state estimation and tracking techniques allow complex systems to be monitored automatically and provide mechanisms for deriving mathematical models for the underlying dynamics - identifying where known models are deficient and suggesting new dynamical models that better match the experimental data. This paper discusses how modern tracking and state estimation techniques can be used to explore and control important physical processes in complex plasmas: such as phase transitions, wave propagation and viscous flow.