Fine particles in dusty plasmas

Dusty plasma is a four-component plasma system with fine particles suspended in a gaseous background with electrons, ions, and neutrals. The dust particles are usually negatively charged. The capability of forming fine particles in discharges opens a new window for various applications. The large mass and charges drastically alter the nature of the background plasma and generate many interesting collective behaviors. In this paper, we briefly review the recent researches on the fine particles in dusty plasmas, including the forces on the single particles, particle formation mechanisms, particle manipulation and removal, dust plasma crystals and liquids, and collective waves in dusty plasmas. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.