Dataset for Coulomb expansion of a thin dust cloud observed experimentally under afterglow plasma conditions

This dataset contains four sets of time-resolved raw images, each captured at 1000 frames per second using a side-view video camera. The data were acquired from four separate experimental runs conducted under identical plasma conditions, with the only variation being the number of particles levitated prior to plasma was turned off. The respective particle counts were 404, 578, 1055, and 2100. Following the termination of the plasma, a vertical slice of the dust cloud was imaged as the particles fell under gravity, illuminated by a vertically aligned laser sheet. During the afterglow phase, the dust particles acquired a positive charge and experienced a slow downward motion due to the balancing influence of an upward electric force. Simultaneously, the particles underwent horizontal expansion driven by mutual Coulomb repulsion. Since the strength of Coulomb repulsion scales with particle number, the four datasets reveal distinct rates of lateral expansion, corresponding to the varying initial particle densities in each experimental run. The images provided here are the source data for the analysis presented in the paper: N. Chaubey, and J. Goree, “Coulomb expansion of a thin dust cloud observed experimentally under afterglow plasma conditions," Physics of Plasmas 57, 205202 (2022). They are also intended for inclusion in a broader collection of dusty plasma datasets contributed by various researchers, as part of the ongoing “DustNET” project led by Dr. Jeph Wang at Los Alamos National Laboratory.