Formation of ordered structures in systems of charged thin cylindrical grains

Abstract

Conditions for the formation of various orientational and spatial configurations of charged cylindrical particles in an external electric field are investigated both analytically and numerically. Analytical expressions allowing one to determine the tilt angle of cylinders relative to the symmetry axis/plane of the electric trap are proposed. A new algorithm for numerical modeling of the dynamics of interacting nonspherical particles is developed. Conditions for correct modeling of uniformly charged cylinders by means of “bipoles” consisting of two coupled point charges of the same sign are determined. The studies have been performed in a wide range of parameters close to those typical of laboratory experiments with dusty plasmas.