Dust Charging and Propagation of Dust-Acoustic Waves in a Multicomponent Thermal Dusty Plasma System

An analytical model is developed with the aim to investigate the propagation of dust-acoustic (DA) waves in a multicomponent thermal dusty plasma system including ion species as well. Dust particles are considered positively charged by electron and ion currents, thermionic and UV photo-ionic processes. The model is applied to laboratory plasma as well as Martian atmospheric plasma to explain the nature of dust potential variation as well as characteristics of DA propagation modes within the linear and nonlinear regimes for given plasma parameters. In the nonlinear regime, the KdV equation is derived, and the equation is seen to support the propagation of compressive solitons in laboratory plasma system and rarefactive solitons in the case of Martian atmospheric plasma. The inclusion of ion species in the system is seen to have an important role in determining the propagation speed, the amplitude, and the corresponding width of solitons. The thermionic work function W, photon yield factor Y, and low value of flux density of UV photon beam J do not have an appreciable impact on dispersion relation and DA soliton structures. On the contrary, noticeable changes occur in the case of the dust surface potential obtained in both laboratory and Martian plasmas.