Complex Plasmas in Narrow Channels: Impact of Confinement on the Local Order

Two‐dimensional (2D) and three‐dimensional (3D) quasi‐equilibrium configurations of a complex (dusty) plasma in narrow channels are investigated using the molecular dynamics simulations for various confining potentials (confinements). The dynamics of the microparticles is described within the framework of a Langevin thermostat with allowance for the pair interaction between charged particles, which is described by a screened Coulomb potential (Yukawa potential). Two types of confinement: the parabolic electrostatic potential and hard elastic wall are considered. It is shown that the confinement strongly affects the crystallization and the local order of the microparticles in the system under consideration; in particular, the appearance of a new quasicrystalline phase induced by the hard wall confinement is revealed in 3D case.