The Physics of Complex Plasmas and the Microgravity Programme on Plasma Crystal (PK) Research

摘要

The relatively young field of "complex plasmas" has seen a continuous rapid growth in the last 10 years, since the discovery of liquid and crystalline plasma states, with a total of about 3000 publications so far and an annual rate in excess of 400 at present. The scope of the field and the role of microgravity is discussed, as well as some individual research advances made recently. Special attention is given to the microgravity programme, which is currently dominated by the Russian/German "Plasmakristall (PK)" cooperation, but which will become international soon.