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The Harris sheet in a dusty plasma

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 April 2010

SAMUEL A. LAZERSON
SAMUEL A. LAZERSON*
Affiliation:
Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA ([email protected])
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Abstract

In 1962 E. G. Harris published a solution to the problem of a current sheet separating regions of oppositely directed magnetic field in a fully ionized plasma. The resulting solution has become known as the ‘Harris sheet’ and has been of great utility to the plasma physics community. In this paper, the footsteps of Harris are retraced with the addition of a multiply charged massive dust component. A set of highly nonlinear differential equations for a current sheet in a dusty plasma are presented. An analytic solution, similar to that of Harris, is found for the depleted electron regime. This solution is of great relevance to many astrophysical and laboratory dusty plasmas. Current sheet thickness and asymptotic field strength are calculated for various dusty plasma environments.

Type
Papers
Information
Journal of Plasma Physics , Volume 77 , Issue 1 , February 2011 , pp. 31 - 37
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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