Kinetic theory of self-similar expansion of a dusty plasma

Abstract

The one-dimensional quasineutral self-similar expansion of a dusty plasma is investigated using kinetic theory. The light electrons and ions are assumed to be in local thermodynamic equilibria and the heavy multiply charged dust particles collisionless. It is found that, within a few τ’s, where τ is the self-similar variable, the velocity distribution of the dust particles becomes highly asymmetrical and narrow, and the dust density vanishes.