Model For Charged Dust Expansion Across A Magnetic Field

Abstract

Plasma fluctuations arise in the boundary region between charged dust clouds and background plasmas. A self-consistent computational model is developed to study expansion of a charged dust cloud across a magnetic field, creation of the inhomogeneous boundary layer and associated processes. The charging of the dust particulates produces a boundary layer and associated ambipolar electric field. This ambipolar field provides a source for low frequency dust acoustic waves in unmagnetized plasmas. A background magnetic field if sufficiently strong, may impact the dust acoustic wave evolution and dust density structures due to E x B and diamagnetic current generation. The dust acoustic density fluctuation generation across a strong magnetic field (omega(pe)/Omega(ce) << 1) may be suppressed as compared to an unmagnetized dusty plasma, which will be discussed. Fluctuations generated at longer timescales propagating along the dust boundary layer will also be investigated in the lower hybrid and dust lower hybrid frequency range. Applications to space and laboratory plasmas are discussed. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.