Collective Physics of Dusty Plasmas in Astronomy and Space

尘埃等离子体出现在许多空间和天文环境中，其中包括行星大气和环、小行星带、彗星、原恒星和原行星云、超新星遗迹、星际介质和地球的电离层/磁层。本研究的目的是开展与天体物理和空间环境相关的尘埃等离子体基础物理和应用集体物理的探索性理论研究。将使用动力学方法对尘埃等离子体中的波和不稳定性进行探索性试点计算，其中将包括宇宙带电尘埃的一些独特特性，如颗粒大小分布。带电尘埃颗粒对集体等离子体特性的影响将在各种天体物理和空间制度下进行检查，并将对处理这些影响的理论技术进行探索性研究。这是女性研究机会项目下的职业进步奖。

Dusty plasmas occur in many space and astronomical environments, among them planetary atmospheres and rings, asteroid zones, comets, protostellar and protoplanetary clouds, supernova remnants, the interstellar medium, and the Earth's ionosphere/magnetosphere. The objective of this research is to conduct exploratory theoretical studies of the basic and applied collective physics of dusty plasmas which are pertinent to astrophysical and space environments. Exploratory pilot calculations of waves and instabilities in dusty plasmas will be performed, using a kinetic approach, which would include some of the unique properties of cosmic charged dust such as grain size distributions. The effects of charged dust grains on collective plasma properties will be examined for various astrophysical and space regimes, and exploratory studies of theoretical techniques to treat those effects will be conducted. This is a Career Advancement Award under the Research Opportunities for Women program.