Electrostatic Dust Transport in Laboratory and Space

The charging and subsequent transport of dust particles resting on a surface exposed to plasma is an important physical phenomenon of plasma interactions with surfaces. It can play a critical role in the semiconductor processing, the performance of fusion reactors, and especially the resurfacing pro...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Wang, Xu, Hood, Noah, Carroll, Anthony, Mike, Ryan, Hsu, Hsiang-Wen, Horanyi, Mihaly
Format: Conference Proceeding
Language:English
Subjects:
Extraterrestrial phenomena
Fusion reactors
Moon
Plasmas
Saturn
Solar system
Surface charging
Online Access:Request full text
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Summary:The charging and subsequent transport of dust particles resting on a surface exposed to plasma is an important physical phenomenon of plasma interactions with surfaces. It can play a critical role in the semiconductor processing, the performance of fusion reactors, and especially the resurfacing processes on airless bodies in space. A number of unresolved space observations have been related to this phenomenon, such as lunar horizon glow, dust ponds on asteroid Eros and radial spokes in Saturn's rings. However, the estimated charges on dust particles resting on a surface using Gauss's law are way too small to create an electrostatic force that can overcome gravity alone. Laboratory experiments and theoretical work have been conducted in the past years but still could not fully explain the fundamental mechanisms of dust charging and transport.
ISSN:2576-7208
DOI:10.1109/ICOPS35962.2018.9575526