Collaborative Research: Study of Laser Induced Shockwave Propagation in Dusty Plasmas

This award will support an experimental study of the interactions between laser-driven shock waves and charged dusty plasma in magnetic fields. Dusty plasmas consist of micron sized particles suspended in an ionized gas background with ions and electrons. These plasmas exist on Earth in industrial plasma processes that create computer chips and solar cells. They also exist in space in star forming nebula and the tails of comets. The formation of stars and planets begins with clumping of dust grains, which has been theorized to be kick-started by passing shockwaves from supernova explosion. This project will study that interaction in controlled laboratory experiments. The fundamental question that this project seeks to answer is how does a blast wave interact and perturb the structure of the particles in a dusty plasma? The results will advance the field of plasma physics, dusty plasmas, and laser plasma interactions. The research program will support the training of graduate students in plasma science, laser physics, and engineering through hands-on experiments. The research can also lead to the development of new techniques in manufacturing such as laser shock clearing of dust particles in semi-conductor manufacturing to reduce the rate of defects, as well as synthesis of functional nanomaterials in dusty plasmas. The project will study the effects and interactions of a laser plasma with dusty plasma in the laboratory in order to better understand the effect of the laser produced plasma (LPP) on the overall plasma environment, the plasma-dust coupling, and the dust cloud response. The research can have implications for larger scale phenomena such as shock propagation through cold molecular clouds or supernova driven blast wave effects on cosmic dust that may lead to new star formation. Additionally, shock driven events can drive complex chemical processes that enrich the astrophysical environment with elements beyond hydrogen and helium. In this project, the collaborative team from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and Auburn University will employ Langmuir probe arrays, optical emissions spectroscopy, laser interferometry, high-speed imaging, and laser shadowgraphy to obtain spatio-temporal measurements of the plasma on timescales from a nanosecond to a few seconds. This will allow the team to understand the coupling of the physics across nine orders of magnitude in time. In particular, the project seeks to understand how the LPP changes the background plasma temperature and density, and how that background change causes subsequent effects on the micron size dust particles. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.