Dynamics of formation of ordered structures in a thermal plasma with macroparticles

The molecular dynamics method is used to model the formation of ordered str uctures of charged macroparticles in a thermal plasma at atmospheric pressu re. The results of the numerical calculations are compared with the experim ental data. It is shown that the ordered structure of macroparticles detect ed experimentally is far from steady state, since the existence time of the plasma in the experiment is less than the characteristic time of formation of the structure. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S1063-7761(99)0 0503-X].