ABSTRACT
The interaction potential of two microspheres that are levitated in the sheath region of a radio frequency (rf) argon discharge is studied experimentally by analyzing their trajectories during head-on collisions. It is shown that the interaction parallel to the sheath boundary can be described by a screened Coulomb potential. Thus, values for an effective charge and a screening length can be obtained. The horizontal part of the interaction potential has been determined for several plasma conditions. There is no evidence for an attractive part in the potential within the accuracy of the present measurements and the given plasma conditions.
ABSTRACT
The outcome of the first stage of planetary formation, which is characterized by ballistic agglomeration of preplanetary dust grains due to Brownian motion in the free molecular flow regime of the solar nebula, is still somewhat speculative. We performed a microgravity experiment flown onboard the space shuttle in which we simulated, for the first time, the onset of free preplanetary dust accumulation and revealed the structures and growth rates of the first dust agglomerates in the young solar system. We find that a thermally aggregating swarm of dust particles evolves very rapidly and forms unexpected open-structured agglomerates.
