Processes accompanying the charging of dust grains in the ionospheric plasma
- Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Geosphere Dynamics (Russian Federation)
- Ruhr University Bochum (Germany)
The influence of the neutral component of the dusty ionospheric plasma on the process of dust grain charging is analyzed. Microscopic ion fluxes onto a dust grain are calculated with allowance for the interaction with the neutral components of the ionospheric plasma for both negatively and positively charged dust grains. For the latter case, which takes place in the presence of intense UV or X-ray solar radiation, the electron heating caused by the photoelectric effect is also investigated. It is found that the efficiency of electron heating depends on the density of neutral particles. The altitudes at which these effects appreciably influence the charging of different types of nano- and microscale dust grains are determined. It is shown that these effects should be taken into account in describing noctilucent clouds, polar mesosphere summer echoes, and physical phenomena involving grains of meteoric origin.
- OSTI ID:
- 22047512
- Journal Information:
- Plasma Physics Reports, Vol. 37, Issue 8; Other Information: Copyright (c) 2011 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1063-780X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Dust Acoustic Solitons in the Dusty Plasma of the Earth's Ionosphere
Modulational excitation of low-frequency dust acoustic waves in the Earth's lower ionosphere