“Electron-ion collision rates in strongly coupled and extremely magnetized ultracold neutral plasmas”

Jacob Roberts

Monday, March 28th at 4:00pm

Ultracold neutral plasmas (UNPs) ~mm scale plasmas formed from photoionizing laser cooled atoms that have electron and ion temperatures typically a few Kelvin above absolute zero (and can be even colder). They are excellent experimental platforms for measuring basic plasma properties. Their experimental parameters can be well-characterized, there are good diagnostics available, and their dynamics occur on experimentally-accessible timescales. We have conducted measurements of electron-ion collision rates in UNPs under conditions where electron strong coupling is relevant and separately as a function of electron magnetization from weak to extreme conditions. [Read more…]