Related papers: Electrostatics in wind-blown sand
The engineering interest about dune fields is dictated by the their interaction with a number of human infrastructures in arid environments. Sand dunes dynamics is dictated by wind and its ability to induce sand erosion, transport and…
The results of an analysis of the physics of levitation of negatively charged dust particles over a surface (wall) in an inverse sheath are reported. It is shown that under suitable parameter regime, the ion-drag force may balance the…
The processes occurring in the solar atmosphere are diverse and depend on many important factors. For example, from magnetic fields, their sudden changes, from emissions of substance from the depths of the Sun, distribution of shock waves…
Recent work on scattering of massive bodies in general relativity has revealed that the mechanical center of mass of the system (or, more precisely, its relativistic mass moment) undergoes a shift during the scattering process. We show that…
Close to the onset of Aeolian particle transport through saltation we find in wind tunnel experiments a regime of discontinuous flux characterized by bursts of activity. Scaling laws are observed in the time delay between each burst and in…
According to Shoemaker, the "impact of solid bodies is the most fundamental process that has taken place on the terrestrial planets", as they shape the surfaces of all solar system bodies. A lot of information on this process has been…
The fundamental equations of particle motion lead to a modified Poisson equation including dynamic charge. This charge derives from density oscillations of a particle; it is not discrete, but continuous. Within the dynamic model of hydrogen…
This paper is devoted to the analysis of the divergence of the electron self-energy in classical electrodynamics. To do so, we appeal to the theory of distributions and a method for obtaining corresponding extensions. At first sight,…
The absence of global magnetic fields is often cited to explain why Mars lacks a dense atmosphere. This line of thought is based on a prevailing theory that magnetic fields can shield the atmosphere from solar wind erosion. However, we…
Wind topographically forced by hills and sand dunes accelerates on the upwind (stoss) slopes and reduces on the downwind (lee) slopes. This secondary wind regime, however, possesses a subtle effect, reported here for the first time from…
The ``flow'' of electric currents and heat in standard metals is diffusive with electronic motion randomized by impurities. However, for ultraclean metals, electrons can flow like water with their flow being described by the equations of…
Large compressions of the magnetopause are proposed to occasionally result from temporary encounters of the magnetosphere with dust streams in interplanetary space. Such streams may have their origin in cometary dust tails or asteroids…
The Sun provides the main energy input to the terrestrial atmosphere, and yet the impact of solar variability on long-term changes remains a controversial issue. Direct radiative forcing is the most studied mechanism. Other much weaker…
Strong ionization on close-in extrasolar giant planets suggests that their atmospheres may be affected by ion drag and resistive heating arising from wind-driven electrodynamics. Recent models of ion drag on these planets, however, are…
Air-sea drag governs the momentum transfer between the atmosphere and the ocean, and remains largely unknown in hurricane winds. We revisit the momentum budget and eddy-covariance methods to estimate the surface drag coefficient in the…
The distribution of ions at the air/water interface plays a decisive role in many natural processes. It is generally understood that polarizable ions with low charge density are surface-active, implying they sit on top of the water surface.…
Wilson's hypothesis of the global electric circuit with the thunderstorms as generators has not been proven up to now. The exact physical mechanism responsible for the generation of fair weather electric field is not clearly understood.…
At the electron scales the power spectrum of solar-wind magnetic fluctuations can be highly variable and the dissipation mechanisms of the magnetic energy into the various particle species is under debate. In this paper we investigate data…
The breakdown of scale invariance in turbulent flows, known as multifractal scaling, is considered a cornerstone of turbulence. In solar wind turbulence, a monofractal behavior can be observed at electron scales, in contrast to larger…
Mutual sticking of dust aggregates is the first step toward planetesimal formation in protoplanetary disks. In spite that the electric charging of dust particles is well recognized in some contexts, it has been largely ignored in the…