Quasi-two-dimensional complex plasma containing spherical particles and their binary agglomerates

A new type of quasi-two-dimensional complex plasma system was observed which consisted of monodisperse microspheres and their binary agglomerations (dimers). The particles and their dimers levitated in a plasma sheath at slightly different heights and formed two distinct sublayers. The sys- tem did not crystallize and may be characterized as disordered solid. The dimers were identified based on their characteristic appearance in defocused images, i.e., rotating interference fringe pat- terns. The in-plane and inter-plane particle separations exhibit nonmonotonic dependence on the discharge pressure which agrees well with theoretical predictions.