Linear trap with three orthogonal quadrupole fields for dust charging experiments.

Investigations of charging processes on a single dust grain under controlled conditions in laboratory experiments are the unique way to understand the behavior of dust grains in complex plasma (in space, in laboratory, or in technological applications). An electrodynamic trap is often utilized for both holding a single grain and continuously measuring its charge-to-mass ratio. We propose a modified design of the linear quadrupole trap with the electrodes split into two parts; each of them being supplied by a designated source.

Structures of Yb nanoparticle thin films grown by deposition in He and N(2) gas atmospheres: AFM and x-ray reflectivity studies.

Nanoparticles of lanthanide metals and their compounds are important from the viewpoint of both basic research and application to many functional devices. In the present work, a gas deposition technique was employed to prepare thin films composed of ytterbium (Z = 70) nanoparticles on a glass substrate. The influence of deposition conditions such as deposition temperature, time and gas pressure was studied in detail.