Dusty plasmas in fusion devices

Abstract

Recent results from the theory of dusty plasmas are considered in the parameter regime close to the walls, divertor of magnetic confinement fusion devices, in an attempt to establish the effects that can be important to plasma operation and performance. The dust charge and dust-dust interaction potential are considered and it is shown that long-range attraction of negatively charged dust particles is possible. The ion-dust scattering and drag force are calculated in the linear and nonlinear regimes, and it is shown that scattering through waves can enhance the drag force on dust particles by orders of magnitude, which can be important for dust transport and removal. The effects of charged dust on wave propagation and scattering of radiation are discussed and it is shown that an instability due to dust charge fluctuations, leading to stochastic heating of dust particles, can effectively grow for submicron dust particles.