Direct measurement of the speed of sound in a complex plasma under microgravity conditions

M. Schwabe; K. Jiang; S. Zhdanov; T. Hagl; P. Huber; A. V. Ivlev; A. M. Lipaev; V. I. Molotkov; V. N. Naumkin; K. R. Sütterlin; H. M. Thomas; V. E. Fortov; G. E. Morfill; A. Skvortsov; S. Volkov

doi:10.1209/0295-5075/96/55001

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Volume 96 / No 5 (December 2011)

EPL, 96 5 (2011) 55001

Abstract

Open Access

Issue		EPL Volume 96, Number 5, December 2011


Article Number		55001
Number of page(s)		6
Section		Physics of Gases, Plasmas and Electric Discharges
DOI		https://doi.org/10.1209/0295-5075/96/55001
Published online		07 November 2011

EPL, 96 (2011) 55001

Direct measurement of the speed of sound in a complex plasma under microgravity conditions

M. Schwabe¹, K. Jiang¹, S. Zhdanov¹, T. Hagl¹, P. Huber¹, A. V. Ivlev¹, A. M. Lipaev², V. I. Molotkov², V. N. Naumkin², K. R. Sütterlin¹, H. M. Thomas¹, V. E. Fortov², G. E. Morfill¹, A. Skvortsov³ and S. Volkov³^,4

¹ Max-Planck-Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics - Garching, Germany
² Joint Institute for High Temperatures - Moscow, Russia
³ Yu. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center - Star City, Russia
⁴ International Space Station (a)

Received: 27 October 2011
Accepted: 27 October 2011

Abstract

We present a direct measurement of the speed of sound in a three-dimensional complex plasma —a room-temperature plasma that contains micrometer-sized particles as fourth component. In order to obtain an undisturbed system, the setup was placed under microgravity conditions on board the International Space Station. The speed of sound was measured with the help of Mach cones excited by a supersonic probe particle moving through the extended particle cloud at Mach numbers M≲3. We use the Mach cone relation to infer the particle charge and compare with that predicted by standard theories. In addition, we compare our results with a numerical simulation. In both experiment and simulation, we observe a double Mach cone structure.

PACS: 52.27.Lw – Dusty or complex plasmas; plasma crystals / 52.35.Dm – Sound waves

© EPLA, 2011

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