Electric Charge of Dust Particles in a Plasma

The problem of calculation of the electric charge of dust particles in a plasma is considered from different points of view. At first the charging of polarizable dust particles is studied within the orbital motion limited approach. Secondly, the plasma electrodynamics is applied to show that the electric charge of a dust particle is determined by the normal component of the dielectric displacement vector near the grain surface rather than the normal component of the electric field strength. And, finally, the chemical model, initially proposed for determination of partially ionized plasma composition, is demonstrated to be very productive in evaluating the electric charge of the dust component. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)