Ra. Quinn et al., STRUCTURAL-ANALYSIS OF A COULOMB LATTICE IN A DUSTY PLASMA, Physical review. E, Statistical physics, plasmas, fluids, and related interdisciplinary topics, 53(3), 1996, pp. 2049-2052
Pair and bond-orientational correlation functions and structure factor
s, as used in colloidal science, are applied as quantitative indicator
s of the phase of the newly discovered ''plasma crystals.'' These Coul
omb-lattice structures are formed by charged microspheres levitated in
glow discharge plasmas and are imaged photographically. Static struct
ural analysis is demonstrated on the experimental data of Thomas et al
. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 73, 652, (1994)] and interpreted in the context of
a two-dimensional (2D) dislocation-unbinding melting theory and a 2D
density-wave melting theory.