Effect of electrostatic plasma oscillations on the kinetic energy of a charged macroparticle

The stochastic energy acquired by an isolated charged macroparticle “dust” particle due to electrostatic fluctuations of a weakly ionized plasma is investigated. Analytic relations are derived and numerical modeling of the problem for the conditions close to those of typical laboratory experiments in a complex dusty plasma is done. The study demonstrates that the kinetic energy of a dust particle, induced by the considered effect, can significantly exceed the temperature of the background gas. The most important contribution to the energy acquired by the macroparticle is due to the ion plasma component. © 2006 American Institute of Physics. DOI: 10.1063/1.2167311