Charged colloidal suspensions and their link to complex plasmas

Charged colloidal dispersions and complex plasmas share the classical many-body character of strongly coupled systems but differ in their dynamics, which is overdamped in the colloidal and almost ballistic in the complex plasma case. In this paper, we shall discuss basic properties of charged colloids and emphasize in particular their link to complex plasmas Similarities and differences between colloids and complex plasmas are discussed. In particular, the charging process in colloidal suspensions, their interactions and the Brownian dynamics is outlined.