Observation of Collective Modes of Ultracold Plasmas
Robert Samuel Fletcher, X. L. Zhang, S. L. Rolston
Applying a radio-frequency electric field to an expanding ultracold neutral plasma leads to the observation of as many as six peaks in the emission of electrons from the plasma. These are identified as collective modes of the plasma and are in qualitative agreement with a model of Tonks-Dattner resonances, electron sound waves propagating in a finite-sized, inhomogeneous plasma. Such modes may provide an accurate method to determine the time-dependent electron temperature.
Physical Review Letters•Mar 15, 2006•138 citations