Effect of high-voltage nanosecond pulses on complex plasmas

Influence of high-voltage (1–11 kV) pulses of nanosecond (20 ns) duration on microparticles levitating in a rf plasma is studied. It is shown that the pulses produce significant influence on the plasma, causing perturbations with the relaxation time of the order of 10−4 s. This time is sufficient for the microparticle to acquire significant kinetic energy. Application of repetitive pulses leads to the vertical oscillations of the microparticles. Clusters, consisting of small number of microparticles, exhibit parametric instabilities of horizontal modes under the effect of repetitive pulses. It was shown that the parametric instability is caused by the vertical oscillations of the microparticles in the nonuniform environment of the sheath.