Superfluidlike motion of an absorbing body in a collisional plasma.

Motion of a small charged absorbing body (micrograin) immersed in a stationary weakly ionized high pressure plasma environment is considered. It is shown that the total frictional (drag) force acting on the grain can be directed along its motion, causing the grain acceleration. At some velocity, the forces associated with different plasma components can balance each other, allowing free undamped superfluid motion of the grain. The conditions when such behavior can be realized and the possibility of a superconductive grain current are discussed in the context of complex (dusty) plasmas.

[1]  G. Morfill,et al.  Response to “Comment on ‘Ion collection by a sphere in a flowing collisional plasma’” [Phys. Plasmas 14, 074701 (2007)] , 2007 .

[2]  G. Morfill,et al.  Effective charge of a small absorbing body in highly collisional plasma subject to an external electric field , 2007 .

[3]  G. Morfill,et al.  Electrostatic potential behind a macroparticle in a drifting collisional plasma: effect of plasma absorption , 2007 .

[4]  S. Khrapak.  Ion drag force on an absorbing body in highly collisional plasmas , 2007 .

[5]  A. Yarin.  Self-propagation of an electrode in leaky dielectrics and its possible relation to bacterial flagellar motors , 2007 .

[6]  U. D. Angelis.  Dusty plasmas in fusion devices , 2006 .

[7]  Gregor E. Morfill,et al.  Complex (dusty) plasmas: current status, open issues, perspectives , 2005 .

[8]  S. Maiorov.  Influence of the trapped ions on the screening effect and frictional force in a dusty plasma , 2005 .

[9]  J. Goree,et al.  Dusty Plasmas in the Laboratory, Industry, and Space , 2004 .

[10]  F. Peeters,et al.  Negative ion-drag force in a plasma of gas discharge , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science.

[11]  G. Morfill,et al.  Dusty plasmas in a constant electric field: role of the electron drag force. , 2004, Physical review. E, Statistical, nonlinear, and soft matter physics.

[12]  G. Joyce,et al.  Force on a charged test particle in a collisional flowing plasma. , 2004, Physical review letters.

[13]  S. Krasheninnikov,et al.  On dust dynamics in tokamak edge plasmas , 2004 .

[14]  Kostya Ostrikov,et al.  Dynamic self-organization phenomena in complex ionized gas systems : new paradigms and technological aspects , 2004 .

[15]  D. Mendis.  Progress in the study of dusty plasmas , 2002 .

[16]  J. Winter,et al.  Dust: A new challenge in nuclear fusion research? , 2000 .

[17]  O. Ishihara,et al.  Wake potential of a dust grain in a plasma with ion flow , 1997 .

[18]  O. Ishihara,et al.  On plasma crystal formation , 1996 .

[19]  Vladimirov,et al.  Attraction of charged particulates in plasmas with finite flows. , 1995, Physical review. E, Statistical physics, plasmas, fluids, and related interdisciplinary topics.