Dissipative processes during the propagation of nonlinear dust ion-acoustic perturbations

Abstract

A comparative analysis of various dissipative processes occurring on ion-acoustic time scales during the excitation and propagation of nonlinear dust ion-acoustic perturbations in a complex (dusty) plasma is performed in terms of a purely kinetic approach and a hydrodynamic approach. It is found that the most important dissipative processes are the charging of dust grains, the absorption of ions by grains, the transfer of the ion momentum to the grains, and Landau damping. The damping rate of dust ion-acoustic waves is derived based on a purely kinetic approach to describing complex plasmas; this makes it possible to eliminate all of the earlier contradictions in the description of Landau damping in a complex plasma. The relative roles played by dissipative processes in different laboratory experiments with dusty plasmas are compared.