Cooperative phenomena in laminar fluids: Observation of streamlines

Complex plasmas are an ideal model system to investigate laminar fluids as they allow to study fluids at the kinetic level. At this level we are able to identify streamlines particle by particle. This gives us the ability to research the behaviour of these streamlines as well as the behaviour of each individual particle of the streamline.We carried out our experiments in a modified GEC‐RF‐Reference cell. We trapped the particles within two glass rings and forced them to form a circular flow by using several stripe electrodes. In this flow the particles behave like an ideal fluid and form streamlines. By putting an obstacle into the flow we reduce the cross‐section. To pass through this constricted cross‐section some streamlines have to reconnect. After the obstacle the streamlines split up again. An analysis how streamlines split up and reconnect as result of external pressure on the fluid in our system is presented here.Streamlines also occur if two clouds of particles penetrate each other. We call this “Lane formation”. Results from our PK‐4 experiment are presented here also.