INVESTIGATION OF THE PROPERTIES OF MICROPARTICLES IN THE GLOW DISCHARGE STRATUM IN A CROSSED ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC FIELD

Abstract

In this work, the behavior of charged micron-sized particles in the DC glow discharge stratum at low pressure in a crossed magnetic and electric field was experimentally studied. The experiment was conducted in a vertically oriented gas-discharge glass tube. A homogeneous magnetic field was created using a two-section Helmholtz coil. The results showed that the micron-sized dust particles move in the opposite direction to the ExB drift as the magnetic field induction increases. Once the induction reaches a specific threshold (B>10 mT), the dust particles start rotating and forming counter-rotating vortex pairs on the horizontal plane. Moreover, it was observed that the shape of the dust structures changes from a disk to an ellipsoid. The PIV (particle image velocimetry) method was employed to analyze the dust vortices' dynamic behavior, and the generation of the co-vortex rotation was explained through the dust particles' charge gradient, which was orthogonal to the ion drag force.