Shocks in dusty plasmas: theory and experiment

Abstract

The main theoretical and experimental results on ion acoustic shock waves in dusty plasmas are reviewed. Two situations are considered: when the dust charge variation is caused by only the microscopic electron and ion currents at the grains and when it is caused by the microscopic currents and the photoelectric current of electrons. The possibilities of observation of shock waves related to the dust charging process in laboratory experiments, in active geophysical rocket experiments, and in astrophysical phenomena are discussed.