The role of gas composition in plasma-dust structures in RF discharge

The influence of a mixture of light and heavy gases, i.e., helium and argon, on plasma-dust structures in the radiofrequency discharge has been studied. The dust chains in the sheath of the radiofrequency discharge, the average distance between the dust particles and their chains, have been analyzed. A significant effect of small amounts of argon on the correlation characteristics of dust particles has been observed. The results of numerical simulation of ion and electron drift in the mixture of helium and argon are presented. It is shown that even 1% of argon admixture to helium produces such an effect that argon ions become the main components of the discharge, as they drift with lightweight helium forming a strongly anisotropic velocity distribution function.