SCATTERING OF ELECTROMAGNETIC-WAVES BY A DISTRIBUTION OF CHARGED DUST PARTICLES IN SPACE PLASMAS

We analyze the scattering of electromagnetic waves by a distribution of charged dust particles, a common component of many space plasmas. For the case when the dust grains cannot be considered as independent scatterers (that is, when the intergrain separation is of the order or less than the Debye length), the scattering cross section is calculated for a statistical distribution of dust particles correlated via their electrostatic coupling. The nonneutrality of the plasma is taken into account, due to the charging of the grains by plasma currents, secondary emission, and photoelectrons (the Sun being the source of photons). The grain charges and corresponding scattering cross section are calculated for values of the plasma dust parameters relevant to many space plasma environments in the solar system, showing that enhancement with respect to scattering by free electrons is possible.