Mirror instability in a plasma with cold gyrating dust particles

Abstract

In this work linear stability analysis of a magnetized dusty plasma with an anisotropic dust component having transversal motions much stronger than motions parallel to the external magnetic field, and isotropic light plasma components is described. Such a situation presumably establishes in a shock compressed space dusty plasma downstream the shock front. Oblique low-frequency magneto-hydrodynamic waves ($\omega \ll {\omega }_{cd}$, ${\omega }_{cd}$ being the dust cyclotron frequency) are shown to be undergone to the mirror instability. Consequences for nonthermal dust destruction behind shock fronts in the interstellar medium are discussed.

13 pages, 5 figs, accepted to Phys. Pasmas