2004/01/22 by Lorin Matthews, Lorin Swint Matthews, Matthews, Lorin Swint +3
Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Dust and Plasma Wave Phenomena #FOS: Physical sciences #General Physics (physics.gen-ph) #Material Dynamics and Properties #Plasma Physics (physics.plasm-ph) #Theoretical and Computational Physics #physics.gen-ph #physics.plasm-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.physics/0401115
9 pages
arxiv created 2004/01/22 · openalex publication_date 2004/01/22 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
A numerical model with broad applications to complex (dusty) plasmas is presented. The self-consistent N-body code allows simulation of the coagulation of fractal aggregates, including the charge-dipole interaction of the clusters due to the spatial arrangement of charge on the aggregate. It is shown that not only does a population of oppositely charged particles increase the coagulation rate, the inclusion of the charge-dipole interaction of the aggregates as well as the electric dipole potential of the dust ensemble decreases the gelation time by a factor of up to twenty. It is further shown that these interactions can also stimulate the onset of gelation, or "runaway growth," even in a population of particles charged to a monopotential where previously it was believed that like-charged grains would inhibit coagulation. Gelation is observed to occur due to the formation of high-mass aggregates with fractal dimensions greater than two which act as seeds for runaway growth.