Effective coupling parameter for 2D Yukawa liquids and non-invasive measurement of plasma parameters

Abstract

We derive an effective coupling parameter for two-dimensional Yukawa systems based on the height of the first maximum of the pair distribution function. Two variants -- one valid in the high-coupling range, the other for arbitrary couplings of the liquid -- are derived. Comparison to previous approaches to Yukawa coupling parameters shows that the present concept is more general and more accurate. Using, in addition, dynamical information contained in the velocity autocorrelation function, we outline a reference data method that can be employed as a non-invasive measurement scheme of the plasma parameters -- the coupling strength and the screening length. This approach requires only input from a time-series of configuration snapshots and particle velocities with no recourse to additional information about the system. Our results should be directly applicable as a simple, yet reliable diagnostic method for a variety of experiments, including dusty plasmas, colloidal suspensions and ions in traps, and can be employed to facilitate comparisons between experiments, theory and simulations.