Nonlinear dynamics in dusty plasmas subjected to photo-discharging

Experimental research into the control of particle charge in dusty plasmas conducted at Auburn University indicates that photocurrents generated by exposing dust to intense, near-ultraviolet light can provide a reliable and novel method of independently controlling dust charge without radically altering the background plasma; the experiment also showed that some particles may respond differently to this photo-discharge, with some exhibiting highly periodic responses to the discharge and others exhibiting chaotic behaviour. Since the dust particles in the experiment were a polydisperse sample of different sizes and shapes, particle geometry may play a role in explaining this difference. Simulations of particle discharge and dynamics are used in an attempt to reproduce experimental results and investigate a possible correlation between particle symmetry and dynamic periodicity.