Oscillations of Magnetized Grains in Complex Plasmas

Abstract

Vertical vibrations of a single magnetized charged dust grain and a one-dimensional string of magnetized particles in a gas-discharge plasma immersed in an external almost vertical magnetic field are studied. It is shown that the magnetic force associated with gradients of the magnetic field results in a novel type of oscillations of a single particle. Such vibrations can be either stable or unstable, depending on the magnetic field distribution inside the gas-discharge chamber. In a one-dimensional particle string, the magnetic force causes a new low-frequency oscillatory mode, which is characterized by dispersion similar to the optical phonon branch in the long-wavelength range. The possibilities of using the vertical vibrations of magnetized grains for determining complex plasma parameters are discussed.