Structural Analysis of Strongly Coupled Dusty Plasma using Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Abstract

Equilibrium molecular dynamics (EMD) simulation has been used to investigate structural behaviors (order-disorder structures) of three-dimensional (3D) strongly coupled dusty plasmas (SCDPs). The Yukawa (screened coulomb) potential and periodic boundary conditions (PBCs) have been used in the SCDPs algorithm. Two factors have been used to analyze the structural behavior of SCDP which are radial distribution function (RDF), and lattice correlation (LC). The results for these factors have been calculated in a canonical (NVT) ensemble at external electric field strength (E* = 0.03) for different plasma conditions of Coulomb coupling (Γ) and Debye screening parameters (κ) at the number of particles (N = 500). Their results have shown that the 3D SCDP structure moves from a disordered to an ordered state with increasing Γ, and the long-range order moves to high Γ with an increase of κ. In comparison to earlier numerical, experimental, and theoretical data, the obtained results have been found to be more acceptable.