Time-Synchronized Microwave Cavity Resonance Spectroscopy and Laser Light Extinction Measurements as a Diagnostic for Dust Particle Size and Dust Density in a Low-Pressure Radio-Frequency Driven Nanodusty Plasma

Abstract

In a typical laboratory nanodusty plasma, nanometer-sized solid dust particles can be generated from the polymerization of reactive plasma species. The interplay between the plasma and the dust gives rise to behavior that is vastly different from that of pristine plasmas. Two of the key parameters in nanodusty plasma physics are, among other things, the dust particle size and the dust density. In this work, we introduce a novel method for the determination of these two quantities from the measurement of the free electron density using microwave cavity resonance spectroscopy and laser light extinction measurements. When comparing these two measurements to theory, one can determine the best-fitting dust particle size and dust density. Generally, cyclic behavior of the dust particle size and dust density was observed, of which the trends were relatively insensitive to varying the most stringent input assumptions. Finally, this method has been used to explore the behavior of the dust particle size and dust density for varying plasma powers.