Nonlinear Theory and Simulation of Void Formation in Dusty Plasmas

We present new developments in the theory and simulation of a recent nonlinear time-dependent model for void formation [1]. For experimentally representative initial parameters, the model describes the nonlinear evolution of a zero-frequency linear instability that grows exponentially in the linear regime, near-explosively in the nonlinear regime, and eventually saturates to form a stable void. The model has been extended to two dimensions using a more complete set of dynamical equations, and qualitative features of void formation are shown to be robust with respect to different functional forms of the nonlinear ion drag operator.