https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2009-00029-5
Hybrid computer simulations: electrical charging of dust particles in low-temperature plasma
1
University of South Bohemia, Department of Physics, Jeronýmova 10, 37115 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
2
Institute of Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, v.v. i. Na Slovance 2, 18221 Prague, Czech Republic
3
Technical University of Liberec, Hálkova 6, 46117 Liberec, Czech Republic
Corresponding author: a bartos-petr@seznam.cz
Received:
4
September
2008
Revised:
3
November
2008
Published online:
6
February
2009
This paper is focused on the study of the electrical
charging process of micron-sized particles immersed into
low-temperature argon plasma by the methods of computer modelling.
The hybrid computer simulations are performed for a set of
particles with the radius up to 
in order to
determine the dependence of the electric charge on the surface of
the particulate on its radius. This dependence seems to be linear.
The distribution of the electric potential in the vicinity of the
particulate is obtained from the fluid model. Afterwards, the non
self-consistent particle simulation is performed in order to
determine both the reaction rates and the electric charge on the
surface of the particulate. The most important collision processes
of charged particles in plasma and the appropriate dependence of
the collision cross-section on the particle energy are considered
(elastic scattering of electrons on neutrals, excitation of
neutrals into all important energetic states, ionisation of Argon
atoms by fast electrons, elastic scattering of positively charged
ions etc.). The presented algorithm provides an effective way, how
the key quantity in dusty plasma physics – electric charge on the
surface of the particulate – can be determined.
PACS: 52.65.Ww – Hybrid methods / 52.27.Lw – Dusty or complex plasmas; plasma crystals
© EDP Sciences, Società Italiana di Fisica, Springer-Verlag, 2009
