Kinetic theory of dusty plasmas. I. General approach

The kinetic theory of dusty plasmas is formulated introducing the dust char ge as an independent variable. The Bogoliubov-Klimontovich approach is gene ralized for the case where the discreetness of the dust grain distribution is described rigorously, while the electrons and ions are described by cont inuous kinetic equations which take into account their absorption on the hi ghly charged dust grains. The theory is valid for dust densities larger tha n the critical value where the binary plasma particle collisions can be neg lected with respect to the collisions with dust particles. This condition i s fulfilled in most dust-plasma experiments and often in space plasmas. The discreetness in the dust distribution leads to both dust fluctuations and plasma particle fluctuations, the latter induced by the dust fluctuations. The dust charge fluctuations alter the interaction appreciably, leading to effective dust charges in interactions which depend on distance and deviate substantially from the equilibrium dust charges. New collision integrals d escribing the dust charge distribution and inelasticity of dust-plasma part icle collisions are found and the problem of dust charging is formulated se lf-consistently. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S1070-664X(99)016 04-3].