Abstract Over the last several years we have performed numerical plasma experiments to study the electrostatic charging of thin dense dust clouds such as Saturn's main rings. The model employed is fully kinetic for the plasma particles and includes the thermal plasma collection and photoelectron emission charging currents to the dust grains. The consequences of dust absorption of ions and electrons is automatically a part of the model. The results of this modeling work include: (1) the presence of stronger electric fields within the dust cloud than at its edges, (2) increasing complexity of the electric field structure within the dust cloud for increasing plasma and dust densities, and (3) electrostatic oscillation of the cloud surface charge density for clouds with high dust density and small grain sizes. These results are discussed, along with their possible modification due to plasma-dust Coulomb collisions and waves generated by plasma instabilities.
Electrostatic charging of ring dust clouds
Advances in Space Research ; 13 , 10 ; 165-174
1993-01-01
10 pages
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
English
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