Distribution of charged lunar dust in the south polar region of the moon

Lunar dust is one of the most threatening problems confronting the return of human beings to the moon. In this work we studied the spatial distribution behavior of charged lunar dust in the solar wind plasma environment in the south polar region of the moon and considered the influence of a mini-crater using Spacecraft Plasma Interactions Software. The distribution of dust and plasma at low solar altitude angles of 20° and 0° was studied, and the spatial density of lunar dust was ~10^10.4 m^-3 and ~10^11.5 m^-3, respectively. This is because a higher surface potential will result in transportation of small dust particles and photoelectrons can also neutralize positively charged lunar dust. The dust density in the plasma void region created by a mini-crater with a 5 m high wall was studied. We obtained a quasi-neutral electric environment in the plasma void region of the mini-crater, and the dust density was about a magnitude lower than that in other regions. The dust risk to a spacesuit is much lower on the nightside than on the dayside, but there is severe charged lunar dust transport in the region between light and shade, which is dominated by the difference in surface and plasma potential caused by photoelectrons.     

弱电离尘埃等离子体的介电张量研究

忽略磁场作用,通过求解含BGK碰撞项的Boltzmann方程和尘埃粒子充电方程导出了弱电离尘埃等离子体介电张量的表达式.证明了“冷”尘埃等离子体的纵向介电张量系数与横向介电张量系数相等.完善了弱电离尘埃等离子体电磁特性的理论模型. 关键词： 弱电离尘埃等离子体 Boltzmann方程 充电方程 介电张量     

Effects of the dust size distribution on shock waves in dusty plasma

By using a Korteweg-deVries-Burgers(KdV-Burgers) equation and considering the dust size distribution, we have studied effects of the dust size distribution on the shock wave in dusty plasma. The dependence of characteristics of the shock wave on different dust size distributions has been given. It is found that the speed and amplitude of a shock wave considering the dust size distribution are larger than that of the dusty plasma with the averaged dust size. However, the width of a shock wave considering the dust size distribution is smaller than that of the dusty plasma with the averaged dust size.     

On the role of dust in the cometary plasma

The cometary coma consists of neutral gas, plasma, and dust grains. The dust grains can influence both the neutral and charged coma’s constituents. Usually, the presence of dust particles in a plasma results in additional losses of both electrons and ions due to the plasma recombination on the particle surfaces. Solar radiation makes the impact of dust even more complicated depending on the solar flux, the dust number density, the photoelectric properties of the dust particles, the dust particle composition, the distribution of the sizes, etc. We propose a simple kinetic model evaluating the role of dust particles in the coma plasma chemistry and demonstrate that this role can be crucial, resulting in a nontrivial behavior of both the electron and ion densities of the plasma. We show that a coma’s dust particles can be negatively as well as positively charged depending on their composition. These opposite charges of the grains can result in fast coagulation of dust particles, thus, forming complex aggregate shapes of cometary grains. The text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Experiments on the injection of dust jets into plasma

An experimental technique for studying the injection of dust jets into the plasma of a glow discharge in air is developed. The velocity and flight time of a dust jet are measured under different initial conditions. It is shown that the propagation of dust grains in plasma is accompanied by self-contraction instability along and across the discharge, which leads to dust agglomerization and clusterization.     

尘埃颗粒与等离子体鞘层相互作用的数值模拟

通过求解一维稳态的尘埃等离子体鞘层模型,得到了等离子体鞘层势、正离子密度、电子密度和尘埃颗粒密度随一维横向的分布,Bohm判据及鞘层边界无量纲Bohm速度随尘埃密度的变化曲线,尘埃颗粒的带电量和尘埃密度的关系,尘埃颗粒的温度对尘埃颗粒自身在鞘层中分布的影响。结果表明,随着尘埃密度的增加,鞘层的厚度在减小,鞘层内的电子密度在下降,而且尘埃颗粒的带电量也在逐渐减少;随着尘埃温度的增加,鞘层的厚度减小,电子密度下降,而且鞘层附近的尘埃颗粒在逐渐增多。     

Analytical Study of Nonlinear Dust Acoustic Waves in Two-Dimensional Dust Plasma with Dust Charge Variation

The nonlinear dust acoustic waves in two-dimensional dust plasma with dust charge variation is analytically investigated by using the formally variable separation approach. New analytical solutions for the governing equation of this system have been obtained for dust acoustic waves in a dust plasma for the first time. We derive exact analytical expressions for the general case of the nonlinear dust acoustic waves in two-dimensional dust plasma with dust charge variation.     

Analytical Study of Nonlinear Dust Acoustic Waves in Two-Dimensional Dust Plasma with Dust Charge Variation

The nonlinear dust acoustic waves in two-dimensional dust plasma with dust charge variation is analytically investigated by using the formally variable separation approach. New analytical solutions for the governing equation of this system have been obtained for dust acoustic waves in a dust plasma for the first time. We derive exact analytical expressions for the general case of the nonlinear dust acoustic waves in two-dimensional dust plasma with dust charge variation.     

Weakly dissipative dust acoustic solitons in the presence of superthermal particles

An investigation of the linear and non‐linear properties of low‐frequency electrostatic (dust acoustic) waves in a collisional dusty plasma with negative dust grains, Maxwellian electrons, and κ ‐distributed ions is carried out. Low dust–neutral collisions accounting for dissipation (wave damping effect) is considered. The linear properties of dust acoustic excitations are discussed for varying values of relevant plasma parameters. It is shown that large wavelengths (beyond a critical value) are overdamped. In the limit of low dust–neutral collision rate, we have derived a damped Korteweg de Vries (KdV) equation by using the reductive perturbation technique. Supplemented by vanishing boundary conditions, the time‐varying solution of damped KdV equation leads to a weakly dissipative negative potential soliton. The soliton evolution with the damping parameter and other physical plasma parameters (superthermality, dust concentration, ion temperature) is delineated.     

New physical concept of the formation of dust crystals

A clear physical model is proposed for phase transitions in a dusty plasma. According to this model, the formation of plasma dust crystals is associated with the nonlinear effect of the collective attraction of dust particles. The nonlinear collective attraction between negatively charged dust particles corresponds to large charges of dust particles used in the available experiments. This concept provides a new physical model of crystallization that is attributable to the capture of dust particles in an attractive potential well rather than to the strong interaction between them. Calculation using this model yields the depth of the attractive potential well and the critical coupling constant in good agreement with the available experimental data.     

Dust density effect on complex plasma decay

In this Letter, the influence of dust particles on the plasma losses in a complex plasma afterglow is studied. It is shown that the dust particles can drastically shorten the plasma loss time by absorption-recombination onto their surfaces. The dust particle absorption frequency increases with the dust density but the dependence is not linear for high dust density. Finally, the possible use of dust absorption frequency measurements as a diagnostic for complex plasmas is mentioned and supported by comparison to existing experimental data.     

Effect of levitated dust kinetics in the dynamic evolution of inhomogeneous plasma sheath

The main goal here is to study theoretically the formation of plasma sheath in an inhomogeneous dusty plasma. The effect of weak ionization of the dust grains as similar to the Townsend discharge has been incorporated to see how it influences the evolution of sheath. Sheath equation has been derived to describe the properties of sheath structures analytically and numerically. It has shown that the ionization along with the inhomogeneity affects significantly the growth of sheath which has been highlighted elaborately for some typical plasma parameters. After getting well defined sheath region, dynamical behaviour of levitated dust grains into the sheath has been studied. The totality of the findings has been centred around the estimation of dust surface potential, dust sizes along with the generation of net force on dust grains. Both inhomogeneous and ionization effects allow the dust grains in acquiring different potential to sustain equilibrium in different places. As a result of this, nebulons and the dust cloudlike structures are electrically charged.     

Electrostatic sheath at the boundary of a collisional dusty plasma

Considering the Boltzmann response of the ions and electrons in plasma dynamics and inertial dynamics of the dust charged grains in a highly collisional dusty plasma, the nature of the electrostatic potential near a boundary is investigated. Based on the fluid approximation, the formation as well as the characteristic behaviours of the sheath is studied. It is expected that the presence of dust charged grains will lead to a very different behaviour of the sheath as compared to that of electron-ion plasma. Moreover, the collisions of the dust charged grains with the neutrals are expected to exhibit novel features.     

弱电离尘埃等离子体层反射与透射的SO-FDTD方法分析

将弱电离尘埃等离子体复介电常数表示以jω 为自变量的分式多项式形式, 利用移位算子时域有限差分(SO-FDTD)方法, 给出了弱电离尘埃等离子体频域本构关系的时域形式. 推导了弱电离尘埃等离子体电磁特性的时域递推关系式. 用SO-FDTD方法计算了弱电离尘埃等离子体层的反射和透射系数, 分析了尘埃粒子浓度和尘埃粒子半径的变化对反射系数和透射系数的影响. 结果表明: 有尘埃粒子时的反射系数比没有尘埃粒子时反射系数小, 而透射系数要比没有尘埃粒子时的透射系数大; 当尘埃粒子浓度或尘埃粒子半径增大时, 其反射系数均减小.     

Theoretical model for the effect of dust grains on self‐filamentation of a gaussian electromagnetic beam in a fully ionized plasma

A theoretical model for the effect of dust grains on the self‐filamentation of a Gaussian electromagnetic beam propagating in a fully ionized plasma has been developed by employing the energy balance of the plasma constituents, perturbed electron and ion concentrations, and temperature. In this model, neutral atom ionization, re‐integration and accumulation of electrons and ions, photoelectric emission of electrons from the surface of dust grains, as well as elastic and charging collisions have also been considered. The effective dielectric constant in the presence of dust grains has been constructed. The effect of temporal growth of dust grains on various plasma parameters for different values of the dust density has been explored. The variation of the beam width with the normalized channel of propagation has been observed for distinct dust densities and dust charge states. It is observed that the non‐linearity induced by the effective dielectric constant in the presence of dust grains increases the self‐filamentation of the beam, thus enhancing the effective critical power with the dust density. Some of the outcomes of our approach are in line with experimental observations. These outcomes may be useful for explaining space and laboratory plasma experiments as well as for future studies in complex plasmas.     

聚变等离子体中尘埃杂质的带电和运动特性及温度变化研究

研究了在磁约束聚变环境中不同等离子体参数下尘埃粒子的带电、运动及温度特性.研究表明:电子温度与离子温度比对尘埃带电量有明显的影响;二次电子发射会显著减少尘埃带电量;尘埃充电的弛豫时间比在实验室加工等离子中要短得多.在考虑离子拖曳力作用下,尘埃粒子的速度可达102m·s-1的量级;针对碳材料计算得到粒子的寿命达毫秒量级.这些数值研究结果与实验观测结果相一致.     

Mode transitions on the surface dust ion-acoustic wave in a semibounded dusty plasma

The effects of elongated rotating dust grains on the mode transitions of the dispersion relation of the surface dust ion-acoustic waves are investigated in a semi-bounded dusty plasma. The dispersion relation of the surface dust ion-acoustic wave is obtained by the plasma dielectric function with the specular reflection boundary condition. The result shows the existence of the dust ion-acoustic resonance modes in small and large wave number regions. It is also shown that the surface wave would be propagated in intermediate wave number domains. It is interesting to note that the wave propagation domain has been diminished with an increase of the rotation frequency.     

Effect of dust particles on the properties of low-temperature plasmas

Parameters of a low-temperature plasma containing dust particles are calculated numerically with the help of a self-consistent solution of the balance equation for production and recombination of electrons and ions, combined with the molecular dynamics method for direct simulation of processes in the vicinity of macroparticles. The relation between the charges of macroparticles and the neutral gas pressure, as well as the dependence of the low-temperature plasma parameters on the volume concentration of dust particles, is analyzed. It is shown that the plasma characteristics and composition may change noticeably relative to the case unperturbed by dust even for comparatively low concentration of dust particles.     

Nonlinear development of the dust acoustic instability in acollisional dusty plasma

We study the nonlinear behavior of the low-frequency dust acoustic instability in a collisional dusty plasma by means of particle simulations. The instability arises due to the streaming of plasma ions and neutrals relative to charged dust grains. According to linear theory, the presence of collisions between the plasma ions and a neutral gas background reduces the growth rate of the instability. Nonlinearly, however, the presence of drifting neutrals maintains the initial relative drift between plasma and dust ions until the unstable waves grow to large amplitude and collisions due to wave-particle interactions exceed the neutral collisions. As a result, stronger nonlinear effects, as manifested by enhanced fluctuations, larger amounts of plasma and dust heating, and a temporary reduction of the relative drift velocity, can occur in the presence of collisions