Formation of chain structures of cylindrical dust particles in a weakly ionized plasma

We present the results of our theoretical and numerical studies of the formation of chain structures of cylindrical dust particles. The studies have been carried out for extended and confined systems in a wide range of parameters corresponding to the experimental conditions in a laboratory dusty plasma. We consider the conditions for the formation of various orientational and spatial configurations in a system of uniformly charged cylinders. The criterion defining the disruption of a stable equilibrium in a system initially representing a “quasi-one-dimensional” chain of particles has been tested.