SELF-SIMILAR EXPANSION OF A WARM DUSTY PLASMA .2. MAGNETIZED CASE

The self-similar transverse expansion into vacuum of a warm, magnetize d dusty plasma filling semi-infinite half-space is investigated. The a nalysis is carried out using a MHD model wherein the plasma expansion preserves quasi-neutrality and the magnetic held lines are frozen to t he plasma. As the nature of the study is quite complex, for simplicity the analysis is restricted to a one-dimensional expansion of a collis ionless plasma in which the dust particles have constant charge. The s elf-similar governing equations obtained from the model equations are reduced to a quadrature. Analytical solutions for a number of cases of practical interest are obtained both for the isothermal as well as fo r the adiabatic expansions. The qualitative nature of the density and the velocity profiles during the expansion has been discussed. The mag netic field is found to constrain the transverse expansion of the plas ma. For sufficiently strong magnetic fields, the dust density falls of f to nearly zero at much shorter distances from the initial plasma-vac uum boundary whereas the expansion velocity is substantially reduced.