Ultracold quasineutral plasmas generated in the laboratory are generically inhomogeneous and ex- hibit small charge imbalances. As will be demonstrated, via a hydrodynamic theory as well as microscopic simulations, the latter lead to efficient energy absorption at the plasma boundary. This proposed edge-mode is shown to provide a unified explanation for observed absorption spectra measured in different experiments. Understanding the response of the electronic plasma compo- nent to weak external driving is essential since it grants experimental access to the density and temperature of ultracold plasmas.
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