3D dust clouds (Yukawa balls) in strongly coupled dusty plasmas

Fundamental properties of finite 3D dust clouds, so called Yukawa balls are presented. In these systems the particles are arranged in concentric spherical shells ("onion shells"). Recent progress in diagnostic techniques is described which allows to reveal fundamental properties of such dust clusters. The dedicated formation of ground and metastable configurations of Yukawa balls are shown. Also self-induced transitions between different configurations are shown and discussed. The investigation of the ball structure and dynamics allows to derive a deep and fundamental understanding of the underlying particle and plasma processes.