Abstract
We argue that dust immersed in a plasma sheath acts as a surfactant. By considering the momentum balance in a plasma sheath, we evaluate the dependence of the plasma surface pressure on the dust density. It is shown that the dust may reduce the surface pressure, giving rise to a sufficiently strong tangential force. The latter is capable of confining the dust layer inside the sheath in the direction perpendicular to the ion flow.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 34 |
Pages (from-to) | 34-1/9 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | New Journal of Physics |
Volume | 5 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2003 |