Waves in Dusty Space Plasmas Book

In this volume a thorough review is given of waves in dusty plasmas, a fascinating new domain combining plasmas and charged dust, two omnipresent ingredients of the Universe. Spokes and braids observed in the rings of Saturn cannot be explained by gravitation alone, but need the presence of charged dust. Other examples abound, as in zodiacal light, noctilucent clouds, comets and molecular clouds.
After discussing charging mechanisms, supported by exciting new experiments, and space observations, the book describes extensions of known plasma modes covering the low frequencies typical for charged dust. Mixing detailed theoretical steps with summaries of expert contributions, a systematic multi-species treatment puts the literature in perspective, suitable also for newcomers. Typical complications like fluctuating dust charges, self-gravitational effects, and size distributions are dealt with, before ending with an outlook to future work and open questions. In this way, experts as well as interested newcomers will find a reliable guide, not just a compendium.

Booknews

Noting among other peculiarities that spokes and braids observed in the rings of Saturn cannot be explained by gravitation alone, but need the presence of charged dust, Verheest (U. of Gent, Belgium) reviews an emerging discipline that studies plasmas and charged dust, two omnipresent ingredients of the universe, and the interplay between them. Dusty plasmas also appear in cometary comae and tails and in interstellar dust clouds. He discusses such topics as charging mechanisms supported by new experiments and space observations, extensions of known plasma modes to account for the low frequencies typical of charged dust, fluctuating dust charges, self-gravitational effects, and size distributions. He combines theoretical accounts with summaries of the literature in the field and reports of experiments and observation. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)