Percolation-like behavior in two-dimensional binary dusty plasma clusters under parabolic confinement

In this study, we investigated particle percolation in a binary dusty plasma cluster using 2D molecular dynamics simulations in LAMMPS, in which Yukawa interacting charged particles are confined by an external radial electric field and two species are initialized in spatially distinct regions. The results show that low-charge particles can percolate through a background of highly charged particles when an external radial electric field is applied. We find that percolation occurs only when the number of percolating particles exceeds a threshold, and increasing the charge or mass of the percolating particles can completely suppress percolation. Our simulations further show that the percolation dynamics is strongly influenced by screening and dissipation. An increase in the screening parameter κ weakens interparticle interactions and reduces long-range correlations, leading to faster percolation and shorter times for particles to reach the cluster boundary. In contrast, strong neutral gas damping slows down particle motion and suppresses transport. These results demonstrate how interparticle interactions, external confinement, and dissipation together control percolation in dusty plasma clusters. The identified threshold behavior in particle number, charge-to-mass ratio, and screening strength offers quantitative guidance for the conditions under which selective transport of one dust population relative to another can be achieved or suppressed. This field-driven transport and separation of dust particles differing in charge and size is of direct relevance to particle contamination control in plasma processing reactors and charge/size-selective dust separation techniques.