HUANG Feng1**, LIU Yan-Hong2, CHEN Zhao-Yang3, WANG Long4, YE Mao-Fu4
1College of Science, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100083 2School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Ludong University, Yantai 264025 3Department of Physics, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029 4Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190
Abstract：Rotation of dust clusters in an unmagnetized dusty plasma under different gas pressures is experimentally studied. Clusters containing different numbers of charged dust grains are found in different horizontal planes. The mechanism behind the dust rotation is investigated by using molecular dynamics simulations. The experimental and simulation results show that the radial confinement potential plays an important role in determining the properties of the cluster rotation under given gas pressure or temperature.
2013, Vol. 30 
