Related papers: Torques on Spheroidal Silicate Grains Exposed to A…
We study the alignment of irregular dust grains by mechanical torques due to the drift of grains through the ambient gas. We first calculate mechanical torques (MATs) resulting from specular reflection of gas atoms for seven irregular…
The radiative torque (RAT) alignment of interstellar grains with ordinary paramagnetic susceptibilities has been supported by earlier studies. The alignment of such grains depends on the so-called RAT parameter $q^{\max}$ that is determined…
This paper considers the segregation of a granular mixture in a rotating drum. Extending a recent kinematic model for grain transport on sandpile surfaces to the case of rotating drums, an analysis is presented for radial segregation in the…
The optical properties of small spherical iron grains are derived using a Kramers-Kronig-consistent model of the dielectric function including its dependence on temperature and size. Especially discussed is the effect of the size…
When a solid projectile impacts a granular target, it experiences a drag force and abruptly comes to rest as its momentum transfers to the grains. An empirical drag force law successfully describes the force experienced by the projectile,…
Magnetic fields play a crucial role in various astrophysical processes, including star formation, accretion of matter, transport processes (e.g., transport of heat), and cosmic rays. One of the easiest ways to determine the magnetic field…
Aligned grains present a foreground for cosmic microwave emission studies. We review basic physical processes involved in grain alignment and discuss the niches for different alignment mechanisms. We show that mechanisms which were favored…
Aligned interstellar grains produce polarized extinction (observed at wavelengths from the far-ultraviolet to the mid-infrared), and polarized thermal emission (observed at far-infrared and submm wavelengths). The grains must be quite…
From a set of stellar spectropolarimetric observations, we report the detection of surface magnetic fields in a sample of four solar-type stars, namely HD 73350, HD 76151, HD 146233 (18 Sco) and HD 190771. Assuming that the observed…
Although interstellar grains are known to be aspherical, their actual shapes remain poorly constrained. We assess whether three continuous distributions of ellipsoidal shapes from the literature are suitable for describing the shapes of…
Observations of interstellar extinction and polarization indicate that the interstellar medium consists of aligned non-spherical dust grains which show variation in the interstellar extinction curve for wavelengths ranging from NIR to UV.…
While it is well recognized that interstellar grains are made of amorphous silicates and some form of carbonaceous materials, it remains debated regarding what exact chemical and physical form the carbonaceous component takes. Contemporary…
It is shown, that mechanical alignment can be efficient for suprathermally rotating grains, provided that they drift with supersonic velocities. Such a drift should be widely spread due to both Alfv\'{e}nic waves and ambipolar diffusion.…
We compare low velocity impacts that ricochet with the same impact velocity and impact angle into granular media with similar bulk density, porosity and friction coefficient but different mean grain size. The ratio of projectile diameter to…
The nonlinear interaction of a time-harmonic acoustic wave with an anisotropic particle gives rise to the radiation force and torque effects. These phenomena are at the heart of the acoustofluidics technology, where microparticles such as…
We investigate the combined effect of solar wind, Poynting-Robertson drag, and the frozen-in interplanetary magnetic field on the motion of charged dust grains in our solar system. For this reason we derive a secular theory of motion by the…
We calculate the absorption efficiency of the composite grains, made up of host silicate spheroids and inclusions of ices/graphites/or voids, in the spectral region $7.0-14.0\mu$m The absorption efficiencies of the composite spheroidal…
A significant fraction of main sequence stars observed interferometrically in the near infrared have slightly extended components that have been attributed to very hot dust. To match the spectrum appears to require the presence of large…
Interstellar polarization in the optical/infrared has long been known to be due to asymmetrical dust grains aligned with the magnetic field and can potentially provide a resource effective way to probe both the topology and strength of the…
Materials containing a high proportion of grain boundaries offer significant potential for the development of radiation-resistent structural materials. However, a proper understanding of the connection between the radiation-induced…