Motion of charged dust grains in the plasma sheath

Abstract The motions of elongated dust grains in a plasma sheath are analytically investigated. It is found that charged dust grains execute quivering (vibrating) and bouncing motions under the combined influence of the sheath electric field and the dust dipole moment. On the other hand, dust periodic motions are set up by the latter as well as by oscillating electromagnetic fields. Our results are in accord with a recent laboratory observation (Mohideen et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 81 (1998) 349) of dust cloud motions and its confinement by the walls of the groove. Furthermore, the present results should also be useful in understanding the complex dynamics of elongated and rotating dust grains in space dusty plasmas.