The Lenz-Ising model for elongated dust particles in a plasma

The Lenz-Ising model is well celebrated in statistical mechanics, condensed matters and solid state physics as well as in metallurgy and biology. Howe ver, its importance in a gaseous system is not recognized so far. Here, we describe the Lenz-Ising model for elongated charged dust grains in a low-te mperature dusty plasma which is a very attractive area for research with ma ny potential applications in science and technology. In our description, th e magnetization of the usual Lenz-Ising model is replaced by the dust parti cle alignment with respect to the ion Bow, and the role of the temperature of the system is played by the energy of the electrostatic turbulence in a dusty plasma discharge. A proposal for conducting a "Gedanken-Experiment" i s made. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.