A nonlocal theory has been developed to study the effect of a flow profile
on the stability of low frequency drift-type instability in an inhomogeneou
s, dusty plasma. The representative experimental values for the plasma para
meters show that, due to the presence of dust particles, the well-known sta
bility of the drift wave in a sheared slab geometry does not hold. However,
a radially varying transverse (to the equilibrium magnetic field) velocity
field is found to play a key role in stabilizing this instability. (C) 200
1 American Institute of Physics.