Modified Jeans Instability for Dust Grains in a Plasma

Journal Article · Fri May 06 00:00:00 EDT 2005 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.175005· OSTI ID:20696243

Delzanno, G L ^[1]; Lapenta, G ^[2]

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1. Burning Plasma Research Group, Dipartimento di Energetica, Politecnico di Torino (Italy)
2. Plasma Theory Group, Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos New Mexico 87545 (United States)

An investigation of the properties of linear stability is conducted for a system consisting of particles having mass m and charge q, interacting through the gravitational and electrostatic force (Jeans instability). However, in light of recent works showing that dust particles in a plasma can have a Lennard-Jones-like shielding potential, a new set of equations has been derived, where the electrostatic interaction among the dust particles is Lennard-Jones-like instead of Coulomb-like. A new condition for the gravitational instability is derived, showing a broader spectrum of unstable modes with faster growth rates.

• OSTI ID: 20696243
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 94, Issue 17; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.94.175005; (c) 2005 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
DUSTS
EQUATIONS
GRAVITATIONAL INSTABILITY
LENNARD-JONES POTENTIAL
MASS
PLASMA
PLASMA IMPURITIES
POTENTIAL ENERGY
STABILITY