Dust mode in collisionally dominated complex plasmas with particle drift

Experiments with flow of microparticles were conducted in a DC discharge. A sharp threshold in the neutral gas pressure for the onset of an unstable low-frequency dust wave mode was observed. Highly space- and time-resolved measurements of the microparticle flow combined with probe measurements of the plasma parameters have allowed detailed comparison with a theoretical model. The model demonstrates good qualitative and quantitative agreement with the experimental results providing accurate estimates of the particle charge.