超冷中性等离子体的产生对传统等离子体物理研究具有重要意义.文章介绍了超冷中性等离子体的研究进展,主要包括:超冷中性等离子体产生的物理机制和测量方法,超冷中性等离子体的扩散以及在扩散过程中里德伯原子的形成、电子温度的演化和各种加热冷却机制对扩散过程的影响,并对相关的理论模型作了概述。
The formation of ultra-cold neutral plasmas has important significance for studies of traditional plasma physics. This paper describes the physical mechanism of the formation and measurement of ultra-cold neutral plasmas, and gives a detailed analysis of the plasma expansion, formation of Rydberg atoms, evolution of the electron temperature, and heating or cooling effects of the electrons during expansion. A brief review of current theoretical models is also given.