Observations of polarization toward nearby stars in the upwind direction made by Tinbergen (1982) are consistent with an origin associated with interstellar dust grains entrained in interstellar magnetic fields wrapped around the heliosphere nose. The region of maximum polarization is centered around ecliptic coordinates (λ,β) = (295,0), corresponding to (l,b) = (20,–21). The direction of maxim...

Recent measurements of type Ia supernovae indicate that distant supernovae are substantially fainter than expected from the standard flat cold dark matter model. One possible explanation is that the energy density in our universe is in fact dominated by a cosmological constant. Another possible solution is that there are large amounts of grey dust in the intergalactic medium. Dust grains can be...

In the interstellar medium of the Milky Way, certain elements – e.g., Mg, Si, Al, Ca, Ti, Fe – reside predominantly in interstellar dust grains. These grains absorb, scatter, and emit electromagnetic radiation, heat the interstellar medium by photoelectric emission, play a role in the ionization balance of the gas, and catalyze the formation of molecules, particularly H2. I review the state of ...

The role of the quantum tunneling effect in electron accretion current onto a negatively charged grain immersed isotropic plasma is analyzed, within quasiclassic approximation, for different distribution functions, parameters, and sizes. It shown that contribution into charging small (negligible) relatively large (micron-sized) dust grains plasmas with temperatures order few eV, but becomes imp...

Dust plays an increasingly important role in astrophysics. Historically, dust was first recognized for its obscuring effects, and the need to correct observed intensities for attenuation by dust continues today. But with the increasing sensitivity of IR, FIR, and submm telescopes, dust is increasingly important as a diagnostic, with its emission spectrum providing an indicator of physical condi...

The spectral energy distribution of quasars shows a sharp steepening of the continuum shortward of ≃ 1100 Å. The steepening could be a result of dust absorption. We present a dust extinction model which considers crystalline carbon grains and compare it with SMC-like dust extinction consisting of a mixture of silicate grains with graphite or amorphous carbon grains. We show that the sharp break...

Dust measurements in the outer solar system are reviewed. Only the plasma wave instrument on board Voyagers 1 and 2 recorded impacts in the Edgeworth-Kuiper belt (EKB). Pioneers 10 and 11 measured a constant dust flux of 10micron-sized particles out to 20 AU. Dust detectors on board Ulysses and Galileo uniquely identified micron-sized interstellar grains passing through the planetary system. Im...

A new method to evaluate the dust-to-gas ratios in the Kepler SNR is presented. Dust emission in the infrared and bremsstrahlung are calculated consistently, considering that dust grains are collisionally heated by the gas throughout the front and downstream of both the expanding and the reverse shocks. The calculated continuum SED is constrained by the observational data. The dust-to-gas ratio...

Abstract Dusty plasmas comprise a complex mixture of neutrals, electrons, ions and dust grains, which are found throughout the universe in many technologies. The complexity resides chemical charging processes involving grains plasma species, both impact collective behavior. For decades, orbital-motion-limited theory is used to describe electron current considered collisionless. Here we show tha...

The measurements of cosmic interplanetary dust by the instruments on board the Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft contain the dynamical signature of dust generated by Edgeworth-Kuiper Belt objects, as well as short period Oort Cloud comets and short period Jupiter family comets. While the dust concentration detected between Jupiter and Saturn is mainly due to the cometary components , the dust outsid...