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    Levitation and agglomeration of magnetic grains in a complex (dusty) plasma with magnetic field
    ([London] : IOP, 2003) Samsonov, D.; Zhdanov, S.; Morfill, G.; Steinberg, V.
    Interaction of magnetic particles with each other and with a magnetic field was studied experimentally in a complex plasma. Monodisperse plastic microspheres with magnetic filler were suspended in an rf symmetrically driven discharge to form a multilayer dust cloud. The magnetic field induced a magnetic moment in the grains. The particles were pulled upward in the direction of the magnetic field gradient and their levitation height increased. This was used as a new diagnostic method to calculate the particle charge and the thickness of the plasma sheath. It was demonstrated that the particle weight can be compensated for. Some particles formed agglomerates due to magnetic attraction between the grains. Analysis of the particle interaction forces showed that at intermediate magnetic fields (used in the experiment) the particles can agglomerate only if their kinetic energy is high enough to overcome the barrier in the interaction potential. The possibility of magnetically induced formation of a plasma crystal was discussed.