STUDYING PLASMA DUST CRYSTALS AND LIQUIDS IN MICROGRAVITY ON THE
ISS RS (PLAZMENNIY KRISTALL), THIRTY INVESTIGATIONS
Research Area: Plasma Physics
Expedition(s): 1, 3, and 5-ongoing
Principal Investigator(s): ● Vladimir E. Fortov, Joint Institute for High Temperatures
of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Studying Plasma Dust Crystals and Liquids in Microgravity on the ISS RS (Plazmenniy Kristall) is
comprised of 30 distinct investigations. It is conducted within a framework of international
cooperation with the German Space Agency (DLR), the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial
Physics, the European Space Agency, and Roscosmos. Several of the investigations are detailed
below:
MACH CONES-PK
Mach Cones-PK space investigates the interaction of individual particles moving at a speed that
exceeds Mach 3 (the speed of sound of dust) in a large three-dimensional plasma dust system.
PROJECTILE-PK
Projectile-PK studies the interaction between a strongly charged dust particle and a dust crystal.
PHASE TRANSITIONS-PK-1
Phase Transitions-PK-1 studies structural phase transitions in dust plasma when exposed to an
external alternating electrical field. During this investigation a new state of dust plasma was
studied: electrorheological (ER) plasma, when a transition occurs from an isotropic plasma dust
fluid to an anisotropic state.
PHASE TRANSITIONS-PK-2
Phase Transitions-PK-2 studies non-equilibrium transitions in
binary dust plasma. The interpenetration of particles 3.4
microns in diameter in a plasma dust system formed by large-
diameter dust particles was studied under varying conditions.PHASE TRANSITIONS-PK-3
Phase Transitions-PK-3 studies the phase transition from a
plasma liquid to a plasma crystal in a large three-dimensional
plasma dust system.CRYSTALLIZATION FRONT-PK
Crystallization Front-PK studies the possibility of discovering a crystallization front in a three-
dimensional plasma dust system.
Crystal domains with varying
orientations (1, 2, 3). The number
of dust particles in the system
exceeds 10^6. Roscosmos image.