  An example of the non-equilibrium phase transition is the formation of lanes
when one kind of particles is driven against the other. According to
experimental observation, lane formation in binary complex plasmas occurs when
the smaller particles are driven through the stationary dust cloud of the
larger particles. We calculate the driving force acting on a probe particle
that finds itself in a quiescent cloud of particles in complex plasma of the
low-pressure radio frequency discharge under microgravity conditions. It is
shown that the nonzero driving force is a result of the dependence of the ion
mean free path on the particle number density. If this effect is properly
included in the model of similar complex plasmas then one arrives at the
driving force that changes its sign at the point where the probe and the dust
particles have equal radii. If the probe is smaller than the dust particle then
the driving force is directed toward the discharge center and vice versa, in
accordance with experiment. Obtained results can serve as the ansatz for future
investigation of the lane formation in complex plasmas.
