Molecules, Vol. 27, Pages 8669: Effect of Negative Ion Generation on Complex Plasma Structure Properties (Molecules)

We propose a low-density discharge plasma model that takes into account the impact of oxygen admixture in typical conditions of complex (dusty) plasmas. Numerical simulations based on this model show that the concentration of negative ions turns out to be very high, and they play an important role in the overall kinetics in this particular range of plasma conditions. The ambipolar diffusion electric field drags these negative ions into the center of the plasma. The density of negative ions is high enough to push the negatively charged dust component out of the center, both by weakening the radial electric field and by increasing the thermophoretic force. This phenomenon was observed in the published experiment and qualitatively supports the proposed model. Additionally, the proposed model allows an alternative explanation of the experiment.