Gravitational force-induced changes in collisionless shock wave behavior in a charge-varying nonthermal dusty plasma

Abstract

The effects of gravitational force on the behavior of collisionless shock waves in a nonthermal dusty plasma with fluctuating charge have been examined. The distribution function describing a cold beam of dust grains under the influence of gravitational effects has been reanalyzed, resulting in the derivation of a new density expression. Numerical integration of the Poisson equation, coupled with the dust grain charge equation, reveals that the electrostatic potential associated with DA shock waves forms an asymmetric, oscillatory structure when gravitational effects are considered. Specifically, we have found that due to gravitational effects, the electrostatic potential inherent to the DA shock waves undergoes a jump and increases linearly and the amplitude of each oscillation decreases as the nonthermality of the electrons becomes more important. Furthermore, for medium-sized grains, the interplay between electrostatic potential and gravitational forces results in a shift of the multilayer structure toward higher potential values, along with an increased number of oscillations. This effect becomes even more pronounced for larger grains. The results of our investigation may contribute to a deeper understanding of shock structures in inhomogeneous media obtained in a controlled laboratory environment and may also have practical applications in interpreting similar phenomena in astrophysical contexts.