Inhomogeneity of Structural and Dynamical Characteristics of Dusty Plasma in a Gas Discharge

Dusty plasma crystals are commonly considered as spatially homogeneous structures with equal values of their structural and thermodynamic parameters in various regions of the system. Inhomogeneity of the interparticle distance, the amplitude of thermal particle oscillations, the Lindemann parameter, and the coupling parameter is shown to arise even in a system of particles with a simplified interaction model including a screened Coulomb potential and a parabolic trap. The kinetic energy distribution for particles in an inhomogeneous dusty plasma monolayer is investigated: it is shown that the mean kinetic energy of particles in the central part of the structure can differ significantly from the mean kinetic energy of particles on its periphery due to the inhomogeneity of structural parameters. The detected effects are verified using analytical methods and numerical simulations and by comparison with a dusty plasma experiment in a dc glow discharge. The results obtained are of great importance for investigating finite systems of like charges in a trap and studying the mechanism of phase transitions in dusty plasma systems.