Characteristics of gravitationally affected colloidal plasma sheath

Abstract

The presence of massive dust grains modifies the flow structures of plasma species in presheath and sheath regions as well as the nature of boundary conditions at the sheath edge. The work presents a one-dimensional approach to study the plasma sheath profiles in the presheath and sheath regions of a colloidal plasma. Electrons are assumed to be Boltzmannian and ions and dusts are assumed to be adiabatic fluid with finite temperature in the absence of a source. The set of equations is solved numerically for the presheath and the sheath regions to explore the possible physical solutions. Solutions for presheath and sheath regions in continuity are obtained. Combined effects of electrostatic, neutral drag, and external gravity forces are included to analyze the solutions for three distinct cases for both interacting and noninteracting dust. The likely existence of levitational equilibrium is explored.