Charge fluctuations for particles on a surface exposed to plasma

Abstract

We develop a stochastic model for the charge fluctuations on a microscopic dust particle resting on a surface exposed to plasma. We find in steady state that the fluctuations are normally distributed with a standard deviation that is proportional to $C{T}_e{)}^{1/2}$, where $C$ is the particle-surface capacitance and $T_e$ is the plasma electron temperature. The time for an initially uncharged ensemble of particles to reach the steady state distribution is directly proportional to $C{T}_e$.

9 pages, 3 figures

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